As the recent OCBC phishing scam has shown, it only takes a careless click on a spoof web link for a victim to risk losing his life savings.
Even as the bank has paid out victims out of “goodwill”, new scams have since emerged.
Last week, the taxman in Singapore warned of Short Message Service (SMS) scams targeted at folks here as the tax season kicks off.
As with OCBC, a bank or any organisation you transact with has a responsibility to put up strong anti-fraud measures. At the same time, consumers have a shared role in keeping out scammers.
For starters, never give your login details and SMS one-time passwords (OTPs) to anyone. With that in mind, here are five more things you can do to avoid being an easy victim:
1. Don’t click on unsolicited links
Don’t automatically trust any SMS, WhatsApp message or e-mail that comes in, even if it appears to be using your bank’s handle or name. That can easily be spoofed.
Avoid clicking on any link that is in these messages. If you do click on it, be very suspicious if it leads you to a site that requires you to key in your username and password, even if the site looks legit.
The exception, of course, is if you have asked to reset your password yourself. If you didn’t do that, please do not click on a link that comes through unsolicited. Yes, even those who say that you have to log in because your account is about to be cancelled or if there has been a fraudulent transaction.
To be sure, always go to your web…
