New scam alert: People in France warned about banking ‘spoofing’

People in France are being warned against a new credit card banking scam dubbed “spoofing”, after increased reports of the crime.

“Spoofing” is when fraudsters pose as your bank – sometimes very convincingly – in a bid to extract personal details that they can then use to steal money.

It can happen through a phone call, text, or email, and can be especially difficult to spot as scammers can often make it look as though they are really calling from your bank.

Calls can appear to come from your bank’s real number, or a number through which you have received genuine texts before, and the fraudster may already know some details about you in an attempt to reassure you that they are genuine.

The head of the administrative investigations and fraud group of the Bas-Rhin security department, where several cases of ‘spoofing’ have been reported, told La Dépêche: “On the other end of the line, a man introduces himself as a fraud inspector from your bank. He tells you that you are a victim of an attack, gives you your home address to put you at ease.

“Very often, the fraudster already has information about his target.”

The public is warned:

• Be alert to calls or texts out of the blue claiming to be from your bank

• Always check directly with your bank yourself, by dialling the number or chatting via a secure link on your online account. If possible, use a different phone to the one you received a call on, to avoid the scammer waiting on the line without you realising.

• Never to click on any links in texts or emails

• Never to give banking or personal details (such as passwords or security questions) over the phone or by email, especially to someone calling or emailing unexpectedly

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