For Banco Sabadell, the security of your accounts and banking data is a priority. That is why our #cybersecurity and #phishing teams work every day to guarantee the highest security for your accounts and to ensure that you can operate and carry out your banking transactions with complete confidence.
Through our #24/7 and #phishing team at @Sabadell_Help, we keep you informed about the various fraud strategies used by cybercriminals so that you can easily identify and avoid them.
This time, we present a type of social engineering fraud that aims to deceive you by impersonating the technical support of a well-known software company.
What do fake tech support phone scams consist of?
You receive a call from someone pretending to be a support technician from a well-known technology company. This person alerts you to a very dangerous virus on your computer that could damage your device, block it, and render it unusable. The supposed purpose of the call is to help you resolve this alleged risk on your computer.
Typically, it’s an urgent call made by a foreign person speaking in English or Spanish with an accent. The tone of the call is often very insistent and persuasive. The person on the phone may even know your name to gain your trust. Sometimes a foreign prefix is shown in the caller ID, and the person claims it’s a so-called digital line to explain that they are calling from your country.
You may already have an antivirus installed, but the caller insists that your computer is not infected with a specific virus but that the issue originates from the Internet and needs immediate attention.
Next, they ask you to connect your computer and execute a series of commands to activate a program that will check your device’s activity and show you where the issue is.
They then suggest you install a program to help fix the problem, informing you that it has a cost. Sometimes, they may also ask for your credentials, the card number you used to purchase the software, or your computer license. Ultimately, they aim to fraudulently obtain your card details for misuse.
If you download the application, it’s actually a remote access tool (like TeamViewer, QuickSupport, etc.) that allows the criminals to take control of your computer and conduct fraudulent activities without your knowledge.
How to deal with these types of threats
If you receive this type of call, it is essential that you do not follow the steps the caller requests and, above all, never provide any personal or banking information they may ask for.
Additionally, to prevent this kind of situation and avoid becoming a victim of online fraud, check the details in the digital signature message (where the amount is shown) before finalizing any online transaction.
If you suspect you may have been a victim of this type of fraud, we recommend you contact us immediately for assistance. Remember that our customer service team is available 24 hours a day to address any questions or concerns you may have.
