KGP:
When someone writes via an online messenger that they need quick financial assistance and asks for a mobile payment code (BLIK), particular caution should be exercised.
Criminals take over accounts on social networking sites and try to persuade victims to give them money. They usually justify this by citing an emergency.
They often ask victims to withdraw money using the Polish BLIK mobile payment system. The victim must provide a special code and then confirm the transaction in their mobile banking app. In this way, the victim... gives the criminal money.
Officers:
Many people, believing they are corresponding with a friend, provide a BLIK code and then confirm the transaction with a PIN in their bank’s mobile app without checking its details.
By agreeing to carry out the transaction, users lose money to someone impersonating friends from social networking sites.
How can you avoid fraud?
- you should use two-factor authentication for your social media accounts (this makes it much harder to take over our account—logging in requires confirmation by SMS)
- you should always verify the identity of “friends” who write to us via online messengers—it is best to call that person
- you should always check the transaction details before approving it in your mobile banking app (a criminal cannot use the code until we confirm the transaction on our phone)
- you must protect your phone and, in particular, the PIN for your bank’s mobile app.