Almost everyone has come across telephone scammers. But scammers are so full of inventions that sometimes even very vigilant people fall for a phone scam. How to recognize the cunning moves of swindlers in order to avoid another telephone trick and save your money.
Your card is blocked
This scam was created specifically for Sberbank clients. Scammers figured out how to disguise their SMS under messages from Sberbank. The bank always sends its customers messages with the number 900, the scammers use the same short number, but instead of zeros they dial two capital letters O. Most mobile phones do not distinguish them from zeros, and you seem to be receiving a message from Sberbank. The SMS from fraudsters contains information that your card is blocked, for more information call the number … (hereinafter referred to as the mobile phone number). A person calls back, and a nice girl, supposedly an operator, explains that there was a failure in the system and to unblock your card she needs the plastic card number and three digits indicated on the back. An unsuspecting person dictates the card number and in the near future all money is withdrawn from him.
Pay off your loan debt
The scam is designed for those who repay the loan, and in Russia they are the majority. A person is called to a cell phone from an unknown number and an answering machine, supposedly a bank, informs about the need to pay off the debt, and to listen to the message you need to press number 1 to contact operator 2. From such a message the person does not really understand anything, usually he presses number 2. And here the operator, during a conversation, skillfully entices the victim's personal data, credit card number and account information. Do not under any circumstances enter into any telephone conversations regarding your loans. If you received an SMS or a call regarding your loan, call the bank yourself to clarify the situation.
Even if you received a message from a short number similar to Sberbank, first of all pay attention: Sberbank, when reporting something about your card, always indicates its last digits, but scammers do not. Sberbank will always indicate in the message the same communication number that is on your card. The bank operator will never ask for the numbers on the back of your credit card.
Refuse SMS
People gladly accept the offer of getting rid of phone messages and fall into the clutches of scammers. The subscriber receives an SMS with a proposal to refuse advertising mailing. To do this, you need to send a message to a short number. By sending it, a person loses an impressive amount from his phone bill.
Remember, only your mobile operator will save you from advertising spam on the phone, and no one else. It is better to call the operator yourself and ask them to block all numbers from which you receive unwanted mailing.
