For #OnlineSafety and to avoid online fraud attempts, a few tips:

• Avoid clicking links from unknown sources (by email, SMS, social media, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, etc.) and never enter your personal or banking details via those links. If you have doubts about the legitimacy of an offer you’ve received, don’t open the materials and check whether the promotion is listed on the company’s official communication channels. Most of the time, these are fake offers — some too good to be true.
  
  

• Don’t click just because you’ve been tagged in a social media post promising big winnings.
  
  

• Be cautious with messages that appear to come from Banca Transilvania (or from banks in general). We never ask for confidential information (card details, login password, PIN) — over the phone, by SMS, by e-mail, or by asking you to enter it on a website.
  
  

• Read carefully before opening any message or file that appears to be sent by the bank or by other people/institutions and, if you’re unsure, contact the sender to validate the content via a different communication channel. Fake messages often contain impersonal salutations and grammatical or wording mistakes. As a rule, don’t carry out transfers or transactions solely on the basis of an email or an urgent phone request, without first verifying the message’s authenticity.
  
  

• Never share your account login details with anyone (username, password, additional authentication code or backup code).
  
  

• Don’t disclose your card details: name, number, expiry date, CVV2/CVC (the three-digit number on the back of the card) or PIN. Never enter your PIN on websites and don’t disclose it over the phone. The website where you enter your card details to make an online payment must be secure (the link should start with https).
  
  

• If you need to receive money, share your IBAN (the account number, 24 characters long, letters and digits), not your card details. Requests for card details by others are a trap, because a card is a payment instrument, not a way to receive money.
  
  

• Install the latest operating system updates and antivirus software. Make sure all devices you use to browse the internet run up-to-date operating system versions. Also protect them with an effective antivirus solution.
  
  

• Always use strong, complex passwords. To make it easier to create one, use a password generator. Avoid common words. It’s good practice to change your passwords periodically.
  
  

• Make sure you always have backups of your data (files, documents, photos, etc.). Use both online solutions (cloud or backup services) and physical ones (USB drives, external hard drives, etc.) to protect your data.

Let us know, too

If something seems suspicious or you’re the victim of an incident involving the security of your money or personal data, as a BT client, get in touch with us: contact@btrl.ro, 0264 308 028**.

Did you know that Safer Internet Day is on February 7, across almost 180 countries? We believe, in fact, that every day should be a safety day. Here’s more information about (and especially for) #OnlineSafety.

Source: National Cyber Security Directorate