Publicity for the protection of financial consumption rights and interests on March 15, 2021 (III)

2021-06-03 20:39:34

Guard your "purses" against online fraud

I. What is communication network fraud?

“Communication network fraud” refers to the act of defrauding a large amount of public and private properties by using the internet together with other communication channels and methods to fabricate facts or conceal the truth for the purpose of illegal possession.

II. How to prevent communication network fraud?

· Do not trust phone calls or text messages of unknown origin;

· Do not click SMS messages, internet chat posts or suspicious links in websites or log in to illegal websites. Be cautious of scanning QR codes of unknown origin;

· Be cautious of connecting to free WiFi. When connecting to free WiFi, do not log in to online banking, mobile banking or payment apps for account query, payment or other operations;

· Do not disclose the identity, deposit, bank card or other important personal information of yourself or your family, and do not transfer any money to strangers;

· If you have been cheated, report it to a public security agency immediately;

· Always keep alert to unusual network or email messages, and do not fall into a scam of those seeking to gain an extra advantage by unfair means.

III. What are the common communication network security risks?

Phishing, trojan virus, social media traps, pseudo WiFi base station, information disclosure, etc.

IV. Security tips for online banking

· Use different user names and passwords for different accounts. Do not divulge your password;

· Use a combination of figures, letters and symbols, and change your password frequently;

· Ensure your network service security;

· Be aware of fraudulent emails;

· Avoid any online banking transactions on public computers or internet cafes;

· Protect your PC.

V. How to avoid bank card fraud?

· Keep your ID card, bank card, Ukey and mobile phone secure. Do not lend them to others. If they are lost, report the loss immediately;

· Replace any magnetic stripe cards with chip cards;

· Enable SMS reminders for bank account activity, pay attention to account changes at all times, and regularly check the account capital transaction details and balance;

· Be aware of withdrawals and spending, and do not discard the transaction receipts of bank card spending or ATM transactions;

· Set the bank card password properly and change it regularly. Do not use the bank card password as the password of other websites or apps.

VI. Recent new types of telecom network fraud

Type 1 - Fraud of shopping tax rebate

The criminals posing as service personnel of online shopping platforms make a call or send text messages, falsely claiming that the goods purchased by the victims are out of stock and the purchase amount needs to be refunded. They ask buyers to provide their bank card number, password and other information for fraudulent purposes. Or after obtaining information about the victim’s purchase of real estate or cars in advance, the criminals trick the victims to transfer money via ATM on the grounds of tax policy adjustment and tax rebate, and transfer the deposit in the card to the account selected by the fraudster.

Type 2 - Fraud of ticket changing

The criminals send a SMS, saying that “the flight/train has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and compensation can be obtained by returning and changing the tickets”, inducing the victims to call the number listed in the SMS or log in to the website in the SMS so the criminals can steal the victims’ bank card numbers, passwords, mobile phone verification codes, etc., and then transfer their balance.

Type 3 – Fraud of fake charity

The criminals pretend to be the personnel of charity or civil affairs departments on the phone or the internet, sending users false information about donation or building false official websites to take advantage of public sympathy to obtain donations. They publish false posts of searching for people and helping the poor via donation transfer, which makes kind-hearted netizens forward their posts. In fact, most of the telephone number information in the posts comes from other places. They are either a collect call or a telecom fraud.

Type 4 – Fraud of winning prizes

The criminals send the SMS of winning prizes to trick consumers to call the customer service hotline in the SMS for confirmation. They pretend to be service personnel to ask consumers to pay a service charge and tax before they can receive their prize. The consumers are tempted by the large amount of the prize and then pay the aforementioned charges. When they try to contact the customer service personnel to follow up on their prize, they find that their contact information is now invalid.