A new “fake central banking” scam has used personal data, false identities and emergency situations to convince customers to move their own money and hand it over to criminals. In one of the cases, a lawyer from Paraná suffered a loss of approximately R$600,000, lost the money in his account, had his special check used and even had to take out financing in his name, as revealed by G1.
Alert! New 'fake central banking' scam cleans victims' accounts
A new “fake central banking” scam has used personal data, false identities and emergency situations to convince customers to move their own money and hand it over to criminals. In one of the cases, a lawyer from Paraná suffered a loss of...
Fraud does not depend on computer hacking or password cracking. The criminals' main resource is to manipulate the victim into carrying out the operations themselves.
- The approach may begin with an apparently legitimate message or call.
- The scammer may know the client's name, use the manager's photo and even use a phone number associated with the professional.
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Fraud does not depend on computer hacking or password cracking. The criminals' main resource is to manipulate the victim into carrying out the operations themselves. The approach may begin with an apparently legitimate message or call. The scammer may know the client's name, use the manager's photo and even use a phone number associated with the professional.
It then creates an urgent situation, such as a suspicious purchase or transfer, or claims that the account has been hacked. The objective is to provoke fear and prevent the victim from having time to become suspicious. An expert interviewed by Fantástico defined the strategy as a type of “mind hacking”.
Scammers use authority and urgency
The technique mainly combines two triggers: authority and urgency. The criminal may pose as a manager, audit employee or security specialist and claim that there is a problem that needs to be resolved immediately.
One of the arguments used is to say that the account will be “completely reset” if the victim does not carry out a certain operation within a few minutes. Thus, the person believes that they are following instructions to protect their assets, when, in reality, they are helping the criminal to move them.
In the case of the lawyer from Paraná, the approach began with a message that appeared to have been sent by the manager. The supposed employee asked if he recognized a payment and sent a receipt with her CPF and the value of the transaction. He then informed that a security specialist would get in touch.
The next contact was made by the scammer himself. During the call, he instructed the victim to access codes and perform operations on the application to supposedly cancel suspicious transactions. “It starts to involve you psychologically”, reported the lawyer.
Personal data makes fraud convincing
Criminals may have access to names, CPFs, banking information and other data. Technology can also make approaches more convincing, including the reproduction of voices by artificial intelligence. According to an expert, there have been reports of victims who believed they were talking to their own manager.
Fraud may involve gangs divided into roles. Some members approach victims, while others obtain data, create fake pages or move stolen funds. There are also groups from different states and people who work outside Brazil.
After a transfer, money can quickly pass through multiple accounts to make tracking and retrieval difficult. Therefore, it is important to notify the bank quickly.
How to avoid the scam
The recommendation is to be wary of contacts that create urgency and request operations to protect the account. Banks do not request transfers to supposedly cancel transactions or protect values.
Passwords, tokens and security codes should also not be provided during incoming calls. The advice is to stop contact and contact the bank through official channels, such as the app or the phone number indicated on the card. Febraban maintains a portal with information about scams and prevention.
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