The American company Lookout, a leader in security and privacy protection solutions for terminals and the cloud, has identified no less than 11 types of common scams to which users of payment applications (Lydia, Cash App , PayPal…) may be exposed. Lookout believes that the two main functions of these applications, which consist of paying third parties or being paid, are particularly susceptible to cyberattacks despite protective devices such as encryption, security locks, notifications or payment deactivations. distance.
Some traps like the bogus help desk that asks you to provide sensitive personal data or requests to send money to obtain a prize are not new, but others are constantly renewed and deserve to be mentioned.
Technique of random deposits
Bastien Bobe, Technical Director Continental Europe at Lookout, warns in particular about the technique of random deposits. A random money deposit is often used to lull users into a sense of trust. Scammers can thus send you a payment, supposedly by accident, and ask you to return the payment amount to them. The amount you send back to them comes from the funds in your account while these scammers dispute the payment with their bank or credit card after you send back the funds. This means that they will be reimbursed by both you and their bank…
Government aids, false security alerts
Lookout also recommends being wary of promises of government aid or grants, which are often a pretext to ask you for sensitive financial information. Regarding fake security alerts claiming that your account has been compromised, Lookout reminds that some scammers may send a fraudulent email alerting that your personal information has been leaked. Scammers often include links to fake websites in emails that prompt you to change your login credentials, but this trick can actually steal your existing login credentials.