Discover six mobile phone scams and how to avoid them

The Brazilian Banking Federation (Febraban) has released a list on its official website, detailing the six main schemes used by fraudsters to obtain money and personal information from victims via mobile devices.

Febraban not only sheds light on how these criminals operate, but also provides guidance on how to avoid falling victim to these scams. According to information from G1, the banking union is proposing measures to increase the security of devices, including:

• Home screen lock
• Automatic screen lock
• Facial biometrics
• Digital biometrics

Furthermore, Vibraban recommends installing the Ministry of Justice's Celular Seguro app, a service designed to prevent smartphone theft and theft.

Here are the six types of scams mentioned by February, with details about each:

1. 0800 scam: Scammers send messages or make recorded calls claiming that a suspicious transaction has been carried out in the victim's name. If a person does not recognize the purchase, they should contact the Customer Service Center. The Febraban website warns that you should never call phone numbers starting with 0800 received via message. If you have any questions, always contact the official channel of your bank.
2. Extra Income Scam: The victim receives an offer via message, offering him quick money if the person performs a simple task, such as liking and following accounts on social media. Febraban advises you to be wary of job offers where you have to pay for the work and never pay for the job opportunity.
3. WhatsApp cloning process: The scammer contacts you via message on the app, pretending to be a company registered with the victim. In this message, the criminal requests a code that is sent via SMS to the victim's number. Febraban recommends never revealing your Whatsapp security code and activating two-step verification in the app.
4. Social engineering scam with WhatsApp: The criminal chooses who the next victim will be, takes her photos from social media and discovers relevant contacts. Febraban suggests always checking if a person has already changed their number when receiving a message from a new contact.
5. Phishing scamPhishing, or digital phishing, is a way to steal a person's data. Febraban recommends always checking that the link is spelled correctly and never clicking on suspicious links and attachments from unknown emails.
6. Ghost hand strike: It occurs through a phone call, where the fraudster pretends to be a bank employee interested in solving a customer's problem. Viprapan recalls that the bank never asks its customers to download any application to solve problems.