Złotoryja criminal investigators are conducting proceedings into an online fraud case. A 45-year-old woman from Złotoryja reported to the police that she had received an SMS from an unknown number informing her that she needed to pay an outstanding amount, along with a link to a website. She clicked the link and was redirected to an electronic banking website, through which she made a transfer of several zlotys.
However, as it later turned out, a significantly higher amount—PLN 2,500—was withdrawn from the victim’s account.
Police are currently investigating the circumstances of the incident in detail. The fraudster could face up to eight years in prison.
What should you remember?
- Do not access your bank’s website through links contained in incoming SMS messages or emails. Use the address provided by the bank with which you signed an agreement to open and operate your bank account. It is also not advisable to use bookmarks or saved favorite addresses, as malicious objects exist that can modify the addresses stored there.
- Do not use internet search engines to find your bank’s login page. Links found through them may lead to fake websites or websites containing viruses.
- Before logging in, check whether the connection to the bank is secure. The bank’s website address should begin with the abbreviation: https://, not https://. The absence of the letter “s” in the abbreviation “http:” means there is no encryption, so your data is transmitted over the internet in plain text, exposing you to serious danger.
- Check that the certificate is valid. Before entering your identifier or login and password, check whether the connection to the bank uses encryption. If you see a padlock symbol, click it twice to check whether the displayed certificate is valid and was issued for your bank. If the certificate has expired or was not issued for your bank—or cannot be verified—do not continue the connection.