A new identity-theft scam that uses "phone spoofing" will be hitting South Africa soon, Visa International announced last week, warning consumers to be wary of giving their personal details to outside sources.
This new scam, reliant on cellphone technology, cons users into disclosing their personal information to individuals whom they believe to be representatives of official financial institutions.
Through the scam, con artists are able to tap into the phone books and caller identities on users' cellphones and change or modify information to suit their needs. Not only can they alter the details of existing contacts, but they can also create new caller IDs, such as a contact called "Bank", on a user's cellphone.
When the con artist then calls the user, the false name will show up as the caller ID. If users are caught unaware, they may not hesitate to answer private questions about their bank account or identity details, Visa spokesperson Beverley Houston said.
The scam, already running in the United States, is expected to filter into South Africa in a few months' time. "Fraud tends to pass on," Houston said.
full story from M&G here
As always, be careful what details you give out over the phone, internet etc. There is one part of the article that really troubles me, though.
Absolute BS. Standard Bank has quite often used my date of birth and ID number in phonecalls to confirm my identity when I call them. And have phoned to confirm details on occassion too! Admittedly not my ID number, but things like telephone numbers, addresses and email address."It is important to emphasise that no bank in the whole world will ever ask you for your personal identity number or bank details, because they already have it … We will never phone you for personal details unless you initiate something with the bank," Standard Bank's Pather added.
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