Danger! Fraudsters camouflage themselves as A1 and steal credit card data!

Danger! Fraudsters camouflage themselves as A1 and steal credit card data!

In the past few weeks, a worrying type of online fraud stitches have appeared in Austria: fraudsters are eliminated as employees of the mobile operator A1 and inform customers about supposedly collected bonus points. Via SMS, people are lured into a slippery game in which a gift is promised to you. To get this, you should pay a fee. If you follow the link in the message, you end up on a deceptively real copy of the A1 website, which even experts are causing difficulties as a falsification, reports meinzirk.at.

Customers are under pressure to specify their credit card data, with the assurance that everything is safe. But this pressure is part of a nasty stitch: After entering the data, the fraudsters try to book high amounts from the victim's accounts. Guido Zeilinger, a consumer advocate, warned of this type of fraud and emphasized that no serious company would request postage costs for gifts or would ask for credit card data including security code. If there is suspicion of fraud, he advises action: in no way react to the requests and ask directly to A1.

Phishing: The stitch behind the fraud

But what is behind this type of fraud? The method is known as phishing, a form of data theft in which criminals try to steal personal information such as passwords and credit card numbers via fake websites, emails or SMS. The term is derived from "Password Harvesting" and "Fishing". Often the falsifying messages are made so well that you can mislead you yourself, explains NDR.de.

Typical characteristics of such phishing emails are missing personal salutations, spelling mistakes and manipulative formulations that request personal data. Consumers have to be particularly careful when they receive unknown senders: A closer look at the sender and the links can help identify dangerous messages. Changes to the websites that belong to such phishing attacks are other alarm signs.

prevent and act in the event of suspicion

What to do if you think you have become the victim of a phishing fraud? The consumer advice center recommends informing the bank immediately and blocking accounts in order to avoid further damage. Deleting the suspicious messages also makes sense, although it should still be kept as evidence when you are actually affected. Another risk is the so-called SIM swapping, in which fraudsters can get control of the victim's cell phone number and thus gain access to personal data.

For an emergency, the consumer advice center advises also to use telephone advice. On 0900 numbers, those affected receive information on legal questions and further steps. This advisory service is not only limited to legal questions, but can also help with financial matters and product tests. The costs here amount to around 13.70 euros and are billed for seconds.

The message of such fraud stitches is important to avert further damage. Those affected should also contact phishing@ consumer center. In view of these developments, everyone has to be careful and prefer to ask again in case of doubt.

If you keep your eyes open, you can often thwart the fraudsters.