Already identified in 2022, fake bank advisor scams increased sharply in 2023. A phenomenon that is evolving, becoming more and more sophisticated.
The scam is not new. In June 2022, host Michel Drucker was already the victim of this fake bank advisor scam. The technique is sophisticated, the thieves being very convincing thanks to the extensive banking information they have on their victims.
And this phenomenon is growing, reveals the 2023 report published Tuesday March 5 by Cybermalvaillance.gouv.fr. Identified in 2022 as a major new phenomenon in the making, fake bank advisor scams have confirmed this trend. with a very strong expansion during the past year (+78%). A sign of the scale of the phenomenon, this is the 7th most frequent threat in 2023 for individuals, assures the report.
The cyber-malware action plan also explains that these social engineering scams are generally the result of successful phishing. which allows scammers to retrieve the information necessary to make their scam credible (identity, address, bank card number, even online account password, etc.).
Damages that can be very significant
Sometimes an SMS is sent. The government service for combating cyber-malvolence describes this new operating mode which appeared in 2023: the SMS takes a worrying turn because it requires verification that those who receive it are indeed the authors of a transaction which seems suspicious. The victims then think that the seller forced the sale. A telephone number contained in the SMS supposedly allows you to contact your bank. But it is a false advisor who is the other end of the device. In this case, it is no longer the scammers who contact the victim, but the victim themselves, describes Cybermalvaillance.gouv.fr in its annual report. Panicked, she will contact the scammer asking for help. The scammer will then be able to manipulate her to steal her bank card number or even hack her accounts and steal the funds.
The amounts of damage for victims can be considerable, because by abusing their trust to make them validate fraudulent operations, scammers can go so far as to empty their entire bank accountswarns the 2023 report.
To avoid finding yourself in this situation, the best solution is obviously to avoid falling into the traps of scammers. The golden rule, which all banks currently broadcast in prevention messages, is as follows: an advisor who asks you over the telephone to validate or cancel an operation is necessarily a scammer. If you encounter this type of phone call, hang up immediately and contact your bank immediately through the channel you usually use.
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