Online banking scams have increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. New types of scams continue to emerge in which fraudsters lure you into providing confidential info \u2013 often via email, SMS, phone call, malware or remote access. Anyone can be a target, banks warn.<\/p>\n
Financial institutions continue to update their systems to stay ahead of criminal activity; however, it is ultimately up to consumers to be proactive around potential online criminal activity. These types of activity will often see criminals using psychological tricks to scam consumers.<\/p>\n
An example would be a trick where criminals get people to pay for holiday accommodation that doesn\u2019t exist. This scam sees criminals preying on people\u2019s anxiety about booking a last-minute holiday.<\/p>\n
Victims are lured with what seems to be a really good deal, pay for the holiday in full, and cannot make further arrangements with the agent who has disappeared.<\/p>\n
“An offer that seems too good to be true should make you suspicious,” warns the South African Banking Risk Information Centre.<\/p>\n
Standard Bank has picked up on three scams that are becoming more common:<\/p>\n
1. Fake holiday deal scams<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Fraudsters aim to exploit you by advertising incredible holidays or timeshare deals that turn out to be fake.<\/p>\n \u2022 The offers are often heavily discounted or are on special for a limited time only, to pressure you into buying quickly.<\/p>\n \u2022 Once you\u2019ve made the payment, the fraudsters will have your money and your credit card details \u2013 and you\u2019ll never get the holiday you paid for.<\/p>\n 2. Fake goods scam<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Fraudsters aim to scam you by advertising great deals that are very appealing.<\/p>\n \u2022 They\u2019ll put you under pressure to quickly make a full or part payment to secure the deal \u2013 But the offer is fake, and you\u2019ll never receive the goods.<\/p>\n 3. Fake vehicles scam<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 This scam is similar to the others in that the fraudster will advertise an incredible deal on a car that doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n \u2022 They will pressure you into paying a deposit or the full asking rate by claiming there are other interested buyers or that the sale is urgent due to sickness or emigration.<\/p>\n “Be wary of offers that seem too good to be true and sellers that put pressure on you to make hasty payments,” Standard Bank warned.<\/p>\n It could be a scam if\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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