Alex Trelinski
ACCOUNT holders with CaixaBank and Bankia have been warned about a new con attempting to steal personal details following the merger of the two entities.
A Valencian consumer group, Avacu, says they’ve got reports of bogus emails falsely warning that the Bankia phone app will cease to exist.
The alleged CaixaBank message then displays links to other sites that seek personal information including passwords for customers to ‘continue to access their accounts’.
Avacu say that the bogus mailings have been going on for a few months but their frequency has stepped up recently.
CaixaBank, along with other banks, said that ‘it will never ask for information via an email, text message, or online platforms’.
In a statement, CaixaBank said: “If you receive any notification of this type, be suspicious, analyse the email carefully and do not click on anything if you cannot ensure its legitimacy,”
Avacu says there are key points to detect any bogus emails that are looking to ‘phish’ customer details.
The group advises people to check the name of the sender which includes the name of a company but usually with a small change.
Also warning flags should be raised if words like ‘urgent’ appear with warnings that an account may be suspended and that customers need to update via a link that’s sent with the email.
Another ‘phishing’ sign is when the person’s name is not mentioned but expressions like ‘dear customer’ or ‘valued user’ appear.
Analysing the style of the message is important with grammatical errors and short sentences suggesting that the fraudster would have used an online translation site.
“Only conduct business via an official website,” concluded Avacu.
Image Credit: Cordon Press
