Whenever you open a bank account,
you are explicitly informed that the bank will never contact you asking for
your account information. In spite of this, bank account money scams are
thriving.
The bank already has your
information. Why would they need it again? The email that you have received is
just a scam. Yes, it might look professional, but it is still a scam. Yes, the
email id might sound professional too, but it is a scam.
These emails mostly tell you how
your card is expiring and that you need to renew it soon. Other common scams
include the following:
“We are updating our database and we
need you to update your details at the following link”
“Dear Customer. We are emailing you
to inform you that there was some suspicious activity on your account on 5th
August 2016. In order to secure your account, your account has been limited in
accordance to our terms and conditions.
In order to verify your details,
please click on the following link”
Sounds genuine, right?
Most banks have a dedicated email
address for receiving such phishing emails. Find out whether your bank has one
and forward it to the same. This helps the banks with preventing such scams in
the future.
Nigerian
scams
Have you ever received an email from
a bank manager in Nigeria? Did that email talk about how a guy has died leaving
all his inheritance? Did the email say how the guy was killed in a plane crash?
Did it say that all the money needed to be transferred to you?
It’s just one of the many Nigerian
money scams.
These types of
emails are popularly known as “419” scams.
After telling
you that they want to transfer all the money to you, they will ask you for a
fee to cover their expenses.
The following questions arise:
●
Why would a guy in Nigeria want to transfer
money to you?
●
Why would they ask you to pay a fee if they are
so rich at the first place? (This question arises only if you believe in what
the email is saying)
Paypal money scams
Paypal is a
genuine service which is used by millions of people. It is used for receiving
money, for sending money and also for online shopping.
Paypal money
scams mostly come in the form of emails like the following:
“This email
confirms that you have received a payment.
Payment
details
Total amount:
Currency:
Transaction
ID:
See attached
file for all details.”
As soon as you
download that attachment, a malware gets installed on your computer.
This is why
the company has come up with a dedicated email id for handling such emails.
If you ever
receive such an email, please forward it to spoof@paypal.com
Other popular
fake paypal money scams include the following:
1)
You need to confirm your email address
2)
Your account has been limited
3)
You have sent a payment
4)
You need to update your information
5)
You have received a refund
All of them
are designed to steal your Paypal login credentials.
