Fraud is on the rise. According to the German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), the risk posed by cybercrime continues to increase. Criminal tricks designed to acquire sensitive data are more sophisticated than ever, and harder to detect. It is therefore particularly important to act cautiously and exercise healthy scepticism when picking up the phone, using messaging services, reading emails and while surfing and shopping online. We have collected ten tips to help keep you safe from fraud.
1. Make sure you use secure passwords! When selecting a password for apps, customer accounts, online shopping and other platforms, make sure you use both upper case and lower-case letters and special characters. Never use personal data, such as birthdays, names or similar information, as a password. And remember to never use the same password for multiple accounts! Important: only ever download apps from an official app store, never using download programmes or third-party platforms.
2. Use two-factor authentication for your accounts, if available. Two factor-authentication usually works as follows: you have to provide both your password and a single-use code in order to log in to your account. You can also choose to rely on security questions, which are used to confirm your identity in the event that you have entered an incorrect password. Your account will be locked after too many unsuccessful log-in attempts.
3. Check any internet sites that ask you to enter personal data very carefully, to ensure they are legitimate. Also make sure that there is a padlock symbol to the left of the website address, and hover over any links with your mouse before clicking. This will show you if the link actually takes you to the address you expect. If you know the address of the site you want to visit, enter it directly into the address bar instead of clicking on search-engine results. Pay close attention to what the site looks like – even small changes to a logo or brand identity could be a sign that the website you are on is a spoof, a fake designed to look like a website belonging to a legitimate company. Important: update your anti-virus programme, firewalls and software on a regular basis.
4. It’s a mistake to click on links in e-mails and text messages without thinking about it. It’s important that you first check that they come from a legitimate source.
5. Never give out your personal details on the phone unless you are sure that the caller is trustworthy. Do not give in to pressure. Instead, write down the caller’s contact information and let them know that you will call them back. Then, contact the company’s customer service team yourself using publicly available information, not the information you received from the caller.
6. Bank employees will never ask you for your online banking password, your credit or debit card PIN or any other security features. If someone says they are a bank employee and asks to view your account, be sceptical. They are probably trying to scam you.
7. Never give permission for remote maintenance software to access your computer or smartphone. This will give criminals access to your accounts and personal information.
8. Keep access data confidential! When you log into your online banking account, you will be asked to provide access data to prove your identity – this might be a personal identification number (PIN) or a password in combination with your log-in ID. You may also have to enter a transaction number (TAN) as confirmation that you are the one logging in. Never save your access data on your mobile device, not even as a photo or in your contacts. This data can be accessed digitally and used to get into your account.
9. Never send photos or scans of your TAN activation letter to anyone. It is also important that you not send this letter to anyone via mail. The activation letter is solely for use on your own devices and your banking apps, and you are the only person who needs to access it.
10. Agree on code words with your close friends and family members. If a family member calls and claims to be having an emergency, you can ask for the code word to ensure it is actually them. Unfortunately, artificial intelligence can now imitate the voices of your loved ones, a trick which can be used to scam you out of money.
