An (apparent) call from BT
Malicious people are becoming increasingly inventive, unfortunately. So, if someone calls you from a phone number similar (or even identical) to that of BT Call Center (0264 30 80 28), you can figure out for yourself if it is us, the people from BT, or not. Simple, we will never ask for your card details over the phone.
Recommendations:
- Do not respond to actions (for example, do not give card details);
- Break off the conversation;
- Write us an email here: contact@btrl.ro.
Scam on Facebook
Improve your life by investing (a certain amount) in BT or The best program to generate income with a minimum deposit – this is how a series of false advertisements on Facebook, which even use images with the bank and representatives of the BT Group, as well as our brand (Banca Transilvania, BT Asset Management), committing brand infringement.
Also, it urges you to open certain links, for various reasons: to respond to a questionnaire, to have access to a “platform”. They are not advertisements generated by BT and we always report them promptly.
Our recommendations:
- Read carefully the text of the ads about BT on Facebook;
- Look even at the link it contains, usually it is hard to decipher. But DO NOT access it;
- Report the respective ads to Facebook, it would help us a lot to limit their spread together;
- If you have suspicions, write to us here: 0264 30 80 28, contact@btrl.ro.
Phishing
Those e-mails that seem to be from us (or other companies), with certain expressions that attract attention and with "approximate Romanian", are not from us.
Usually, they have a subject that attracts your attention: Important message, Account suspension, and they can make you think either about some arrears or about a possible garnishment. These messages usually contain a call to immediate action, such as urgently accessing a link because, otherwise, they claim that something (negative) will happen, such as the closure of the bank account. Once the link is accessed, you are asked to fill in data such as: name, address, card details, CVV2/CVC code, personal identification number, phone, even the authorization code received via SMS/email/notification in the app. Once provided, the fraudster has access to your money.
Deepfake
Deepfake is the technology that allows malicious persons to take information falsification to the next level by generating videos with people who do and say certain things, even though they have NEVER done or said them.
To be as convincing as possible, attackers use deepfake technology in promoting online fraud attempts, especially through sponsored posts on social media. How to protect ourselves and our loved ones from cyber attackers you can find out from BT Blog.
Crypto Scam
Someone offers you an investment in cryptocurrencies that you can't refuse. After a while, you are contacted to withdraw your profit and you can only do this by installing a certain application? It might be a scam.
Through an application that facilitates remote access to a device, hackers can see your personal information and banking data in real time when you log into a platform. We talk extensively about how crypto scams work on BT Blog.
Flubot
It is a type of fraud through SMS that infects your phone by asking you to download an application. The app is actually software intentionally created to cause technical malfunctions (malware).
This malware takes control of your phone, giving malicious people access to personal information or your bank accounts. It also sends infected messages to your personal contacts, without you knowing, with the aim of having them install the application as well. More information can be found at BT Blog.
Smishing
Phishing can also come through SMS (Smishing). It may seem like a message from BT, but it is not. It usually contains a link that, once accessed, asks for your personal or card data.
Vishing
Vishing is related to the telephone. It is when someone who pretends to be something they are not calls you about a problem they say can be solved at the moment you provide details about your bank account, for example. Also for your protection, if someone calls you from abroad and you do not know the number, it is better not to answer.
Frauds through known shopping sites (OLX.ro, lajumate.ro etc.)
Buyer or seller, fraudsters are also on well-known shopping sites and here is how they operate:
- The fraudulent buyer contacts the seller under the pretext of purchasing a product and, at some point, proposes moving the conversation from that site to another place, such as WhatsApp. The fraudster (buyer) tells the seller that they have paid for the product and sends a fake link to receive the money. By accessing it, the victim is asked for the security details of the bank card, including passwords.
- The fraudulent seller posts ads with fictitious products, which attract attention through affordable prices and give you the feeling that it is your lucky day. For the payment of the product, the buyer (victim) is however directed to a link, which leads to a phishing page (which looks very much like the “official” shopping sites). The buyer is asked for the card security data, including passwords.
Card cloning (skimming)
Physical cards can be cloned. In other words, the data stored on the card's magnetic stripe is copied using special electronic devices. Once stolen, the information can be used by wrongdoers to withdraw money from ATMs or for online shopping.
I am X from BT…
Yes, we, #peopleofBT, often communicate with customers by phone. Sometimes we call you when necessary, just as we are available non-stop at the phone number 0264 30 80 28. However, if someone calls you claiming to be X from BT and signals a problem in the relationship with the bank, insisting that it can be resolved immediately if you take action by communicating confidential information, such as user codes, passwords, authorization codes, it should be considered suspicious.
As "creativity" is great in this field, wrongdoers can ask you, for example, to install the Any Desk application on your computer/laptop and even help you do it remotely. Be very careful, it is not us.
The big winner
A prize is welcome, but it is not true. The big news – that you have won, for example, a phone – can also come via e-mail from a stranger, who asks you in exchange for personal data and the payment of a fee for the transfer of the money.
Method The accident
A phone call from a stranger delivering bad news about someone in the family, but also offering a solution for a fee, is a scam most of the time. Certain fraudsters, pretending to have official status, contact randomly chosen individuals by phone and demand money to resolve a serious situation (hospitalization, for example) – usually, a fictitious traffic accident – involving a person close to the one they are calling.
Pass it on to 25 friends…
Do you know those messages, received by e-mail or on social media, that announce a contest where you can win something-you-didn't-even-dream-of? They are those links that contain a link and must be sent to friends, to as many friends as possible… Unfortunately, they are from the same “dangerous” category.
Heir overnight
An email from a stranger notifying you that a friend or someone from your family is making you rich overnight through an inheritance is another method of scam. Because it will surely request your personal data or payment of a fee for transferring the money fallen from the sky.
Money carrier
A person asks you to transfer some money and offers you an attractive commission? It may be a scam. A money mule is a person who receives and transfers, on behalf of and for other people, illegally received money, in exchange for a commission. Check very carefully the announcements with attractive messages, received by e-mail, seen on certain job sites or from social media, such as: Do you want to make money easily?, Do you want to make money from home?
Sometimes, these announcements even use trademarks to create the appearance of legitimacy. How does the scenario work? The new employee (the carrier) will be urged to communicate their bank account or to open an account at the bank. So far, nothing unusual. However, the carrier will receive in their account an amount of money transferred from another bank and will receive instructions on how to transfer the respective money, minus the negotiated commission, which is about 10% of the amount received.
