Smishing, Phishing and Vishing

  Smishing

Smishing, or SMS phishing, is a scam where fraudsters use mobile phone text messages to trick you into revealing account information and/or installing malware. Spoofing or the use of fake information is a technique often used to make the texts appear to be from a reputable organisation or business. By manipulating the caller ID field, the fraudsters can make you think that the text message is from a legitimate source.

Remember:

• Never provide the one-time passcode (OTP) by telephone, text message or email to another person.
• Avant Money will never ask you for your card details or your my.avantmoney.ie login information, regardless of the situation.
• Avant Money will never ask you for a 3D secure OTP, answers to a security question or acceptance of a push notification to cancel a fraudulent transaction.
• Avant Money will never request you click on a link via email or text message to login to your Avant Money account or provide any personal security information.

Anyone who is concerned they have provided personal information in response to a fraudulent text message should contact us immediately.

  Phishing

"Phishing" (pronounced "fishing") is when fraudsters use email to try to lure you to fake websites, where you are asked to disclose confidential financial and/or personal information, like passwords, account numbers, or other sensitive data which can be used for their intended purposes

How a phishing type scam works:
When fraudsters attempt to impersonate correspondence from your bank, credit card provider, or other entity, they might email you a link and ask that you click the link to perform a specific action. This link then takes you to a 'dummy' login page. There, you'll be requested to enter personal information which they can then access. This information may then allow them to make fraudulent transactions on your bank or credit card account. 

Take note: Avant Money will never send you an email asking you to enter your credit card number, login details or any personal information. If ever in doubt, we recommend that you don’t click on any links, rather delete emails of this nature.

Phishing e-mails often look convincing and contain realistic-looking logos and/or corresponding text making them appear genuine. Below are some things to watch out for to help avoid falling victim to a phishing scam.

1. Look closely at the website address/URL in the clickable link
The address used by a fraudster or counterfeit site may be very similar to Avant Money’s website address; however, there is likely to be a slight variance or typo in the URL address. Look for spelling differences or the use of symbols, e.g. www.avant-money.ie or www.aventmoney.ie, as opposed to www.avantmoney.ie

2. Check the email address that sent the email:
If you rest your cursor over a link in an email (but don't click on it), a box will pop up showing you the link destination - do you recognise it as a legitimate website address? If not, this might signify that the sender is not an Avant Money representative.

  Vishing

Vishing (voice or VoIP phishing) is typically used to steal credit card numbers or to gain access to your online banking account over a phone call. By manipulating the caller ID field the fraudsters make you believe that the call is coming from a legitimate source.

We know that a call may also come after an SMS/Text message advising that suspicious activity has been identified and to expect a call from us. 

As part of the call conversation, the fraudster might advise that they require your OTP codes and/or answers to your security questions, or, if you are a Mobile App user to accept the push notification sent so as to prevent fraud or to reverse transactions.

Please note: If you do provide this information you are authorising a transaction and allowing that transaction to be processed on your account.

Of late, we’ve witnessed an increase in hoax phone calls with callers claiming to be bank employees or from large technology companies asking for personal details. 

If the caller claims to be one of our employees and you have reason to doubt their identity, hang up and, if possible, use a different phone and dial the telephone number at the back of your credit card to check if an agent from Avant Money tried to contact you.

Common examples of vishing: 

• A caller claims to be from a utility company, revenue etc. calling to notify the customer of an issue with their account. They then make the request that the customer moves funds to another account, and/or that they share personal information. Anyone questioning the unsolicited callers direction might be threatened and/or informed that their funds could be at risk if they do not comply.
• A caller claims to be a technical support employee from a computer software company. He/she may say they’ve noticed from their records that your computer needs to undergo updating as a matter of urgency and list some unwanted outcomes should you not go ahead with the update, for example, a virus is likely to corrupt your device.
• A caller asks for remote access to your computer to install software. They may then install a virus that will enable then to obtain your personal details.
• A caller asks for your credit card details in order to make a payment to “fix” your computer. e.g your card number, expiry and/or 3 digit CVC number. Sharing any of this information could enable the fraudster to take a payment directly from your card or use your details to carry out large cash payments, both domestically or internationally via payment channels such as Western Union.

You might have spotted similar attempts, but fraudsters are deceptive and highly-skilled at stealing people’s money through the use of VoIP, making callers believe the incoming call is legitimate. The fraudster gives ultimatums so as convey the urgency of the action requested, which often forces people into making a decision they otherwise might not have been comfortable taking.