Have you received a lot of strange phone calls recently, in which the caller is trying to get personal information from you? It is likely that they are using a new scam technique called “Vishing”, which involves trying to fraudulently gain access to your bank account and other personal information. Vishing is short for “Voice Phishing”, which is the use of social engineering techniques over the phone to steal sensitive information or money. In this article, we explain what vishing is, how it works, and what steps you can take to avoid falling victim to this sophisticated form of attack.
A new scam has appeared in France, which could potentially cost victims thousands of euros. This vishing racket centers around scam phone calls that seek to retrieve personal data from unsuspecting individuals. It is estimated that 1,500 people have already fallen victim to this scam and had their bank accounts hacked by cyber criminals.
What is Vishing?
Vishing is the use of certain tactics to manipulate people into giving up valuable information such as their passwords and account numbers. These criminals use complex social engineering techniques such as impersonation and authority manipulation to convince the person on the other end of the line that they are a legitimate entity that needs access to private information of the person for security purposes. Once they have received the information they want, these criminals can then use it to access bank accounts, steal money, or compromise confidential files and documents.
In France, cases of vishing have become more and more frequent in recent times, making it a major concern for those who are aware of its dangers. According to BFMTV, many French people have received calls from malicious actors impersonating their bank and asking them for sensitive information about their accounts or credit cards. With this type of data, fraudsters can cause immense damage not only financially, but also emotionally by putting victims at risk of identity theft and other serious crimes.
How to overcome this scourge and raise awareness among those around you?
Stop answering anonymous calls.
First of all, individuals should remain vigilant when receiving phone calls from unknown numbers. If a call seems suspicious or out of the ordinary, hang up immediately and report the number to your local police department. Also, if you spot any signs of phishing activity on your own phone, like bot messages or weird voicemail messages, delete them without listening to them further and contact your carrier immediately.
If it is indeed a national number displayed, stay tuned!
Authorities are suggesting individuals beware when they receive suspicious calls asking for personal details such as passwords or account numbers. Under no circumstances should this type of confidential contact information be transmitted to a third party. Ask your ISP how to block a number or do it yourself to protect yourself.
Pay attention to public Wi-Fi networks.
To avoid falling victim to these attacks, one of the most important steps you can take is to protect yourself from using public Wi-Fi networks. Public networks certainly provide easy access to the internet, but they do not guarantee security because they do not have strong encryption and authentication protocols.
While it is sometimes unavoidable to use these networks, take precautions about the type of information you share while logged in, and try not to log into sensitive accounts such as your banking information. The best way to ensure your security is to stay in control of the connection and use a reliable VPN.
Always ask the organization in question.
However, there is a simple way to combat this type of violation: always call the organization in question before communicating important information. This way, we can confirm that these are indeed the same people who asked us for this information over the phone and we can protect ourselves against untrustworthy people. In our online digital world, we must remain vigilant against those who impersonate legitimate people in order to obtain vulnerable private information.
Even professionals are concerned.
Companies must also take precautions against phishing attempts. They must train their employees to identify possible phishing attacks, while enforcing the use of strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA). Additionally, they should deploy advanced security solutions such as malware scanners and intrusion detection systems that can help detect malicious activity. Finally, organizations should have an incident response plan in place so that they know exactly what action needs to be taken if they become the target of an attack.
To raise awareness of vishing scams among the general public, organizations can launch campaigns featuring educational materials, such as videos and infographics, that provide helpful tips on how to protect themselves from these attacks. At the same time, government agencies should inform law enforcement of the latest tactics used by scammers so that they can better detect cases of fraud in their jurisdictions.
Vishing is an insidious form of fraud that requires vigilance from both individuals and businesses in order to be successfully defeated. By taking all the precautionary measures described above. Whether it’s self-protection or organizational protection, we can help raise public awareness of this crime and ensure that it no longer becomes a major problem.
