Ok, just be diligent. If you bank online I am guessing there is a certain percentage of people who start typing their online bank into a browser search engine and click the link from there in order to log into their account.
Major scam taking place. I was just alerted by my bank, name unimportant as it can be any online bank.
When those links to your bank come up in the search engine, remember the first few links are PAID advertisements. So what is taking place is those advertisements are pretending to be a bank, people click on it to sign in. Once they do, they just signed into a fake bank website that you thought was real and they captured your log in information.
Here is the email I received tonight. I was always aware but now even more so. I know to many it will seem obvious but all it takes is a "momentary lapse of reason" and then you have big problems.
You really should follow the directions in the email. Not use internet search engines on a daily basis to log into accounts but bookmark the real bank website so you dont have to use a search engine. I replaced the name of my bank with the words (your bank)
"Recently, we’ve noticed a significant increase in bank scams. These aren’t just random attacks; they’re sophisticated attempts to trick you by pretending to be us. Scammers create fake websites that look like (your bank).com but are designed to steal your credentials – and your money.
Here’s how the scam works. When you search the Internet, the top few results are “sponsored” links, paid advertisements directing you to various websites. Scammers are purchasing sponsored links to misdirect (your bank) Bank customers to fake versions of our website. If you log in to one of those fake sites, the scammers capture your credentials and take control of your bank accounts."
"To protect your money, please do the following:
Major scam taking place. I was just alerted by my bank, name unimportant as it can be any online bank.
When those links to your bank come up in the search engine, remember the first few links are PAID advertisements. So what is taking place is those advertisements are pretending to be a bank, people click on it to sign in. Once they do, they just signed into a fake bank website that you thought was real and they captured your log in information.
Here is the email I received tonight. I was always aware but now even more so. I know to many it will seem obvious but all it takes is a "momentary lapse of reason" and then you have big problems.
You really should follow the directions in the email. Not use internet search engines on a daily basis to log into accounts but bookmark the real bank website so you dont have to use a search engine. I replaced the name of my bank with the words (your bank)
"Recently, we’ve noticed a significant increase in bank scams. These aren’t just random attacks; they’re sophisticated attempts to trick you by pretending to be us. Scammers create fake websites that look like (your bank).com but are designed to steal your credentials – and your money.
Here’s how the scam works. When you search the Internet, the top few results are “sponsored” links, paid advertisements directing you to various websites. Scammers are purchasing sponsored links to misdirect (your bank) Bank customers to fake versions of our website. If you log in to one of those fake sites, the scammers capture your credentials and take control of your bank accounts."
"To protect your money, please do the following:
- Bookmark the website. Save the website (your bank).com in your Favorites or Bookmarks so that you don’t need to use Internet search to find it.
- Look closely at your address bar. Scam sites use minor misspellings or extra characters in their names. Verify that you’re on (your bank).com and look for the padlock icon and "https" in the address bar which indicate a secure connection.
- Verify your contact information. Log into online banking from (your bank).com or the (your bank) Bank mobile app. From the Settings menu, choose My Profile – Contact Information. Check the phone number and email address listed for notifications and verify that they belong to you. When scammers take over bank accounts, they may change the phone number so you don’t receive security alerts or verification texts from us.
- Fix any errors. If your contact information is incorrect, change it immediately. Change your account password. Check your transaction history for any suspicious activity and call us at -------------- if you see anything unusual.
- Be suspicious of links. Never click links in unsolicited texts or emails. Always verify the sender of an email by tapping or hovering over the sender’s name and checking the domain name
...."
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