Telephone fraud is an easy and relatively safe way for a scammer to get hold of other people's money. This is because in such cases, people practically hand over their money themselves. A few phrases, tricks, manipulations – and the job is done. It is difficult to track down scammers, but it is possible. Proving that the money was handed over under duress is a more complex task. Therefore, it is important to be able to recognise scammers from the very first seconds of a phone call in order to keep your money.
Telephone fraud is an easy and relatively safe way for a scammer to get hold of other people's money. This is because in such cases, people practically hand over their money themselves. A few phrases, tricks, manipulations – and the job is done. It is difficult to track down scammers, but it is possible. Proving that the money was handed over under duress is a more complex task. Therefore, it is important to be able to recognise scammers from the very first seconds of a phone call in order to keep your money.
So, you receive a call from a bank
If the call comes through a messenger app, hang up without hesitation. Bank employees never call via Viber or WhatsApp.
However, scammers can impersonate anyone: the police, the prosecutor's office, the National Bank, the Association of Belarusian Banks, the KGB, and they may also threaten you with articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus.
Remember: a call via a messenger app is a suspicious call.
There is nothing to stop you from ending the conversation, checking the official contact number of the organisation or association the scammer claims to represent online, and calling back to clarify the purpose of the call.
Are they calling from your bank? It's even simpler: the contact centre's phone number is always indicated on the back of your payment card.
Are they calling from a bank where you have never been a customer? You are definitely being targeted for deception.
How scammers trick people out of their money
Emotional pressure is a favourite tool of telephone scammers.
From the very first seconds, the conversation is escalated with the risk of losing your money or freedom for various reasons: taking out a loan, confirming a large transaction, initiating a criminal case, or conducting an investigation.
Then, the caller suggests (of course, for your safety) installing some application on your smartphone: an antivirus, a data encryptor, or password protection.