How to recognize fraud?
A common type of fraud is phishing, where a person is sent a link by email or SMS, tricked into clicking on it and entering his or her identifying details (e.g. bank account or card number, internet banking, Smart-ID or Mobile-ID codes for electronic signatures). Often in these cases, fraudsters send fraudulent messages claiming to be postal service providers, couriers, financial institutions or public authorities, and informing them that they have received a parcel, a fine or other information. They can also be lured by the use of fake online shopping sites.
Another of the most common fraud schemes is investment fraud, where financial scammers try to persuade people to invest in "lucrative investments", usually in virtual currencies, sometimes by offering to borrow money for these investments from consumer credit providers. These offers are usually made during a telephone conversation, but can also be made by email or on social networks and the internet. Often, investment offers are made by Russian speakers posing as investment advisers, brokers or analysts.
Fake job offer scams are also common, where fraudsters make a variety of overly attractive job offers promising high rewards for a simple job that requires no skills. In this way, scammers can involve those who are tempted by the job offer in illegal activities, such as becoming money mules, asking people to open a bank account in their own name and then transferring it to a third party for use, thus hiding their identity and shifting the responsibility onto their victims.
How can I protect myself against fraud?
The following tips will help you to protect your data and avoid fraud.
1. Keep the codes or other personally identifiable information needed to identify you accessible only to you. Neither financial institutions, nor the police or other agencies ask you to disclose your Smart-ID or Mobile-ID codes, bank card details or other passwords during a telephone conversation or email correspondence they initiate. If you receive a call from a bank or the police asking for this information, it is most likely a scam, so it is advisable to end the call and contact your financial service provider or the police. Alternatively, you can always search Google for the number or email used to contact you.
2. Remember - if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you are contacted by someone offering easy earning opportunities or lucrative investments - take a critical look at the offer and don't rush in. Remember that there are no low-risk investments that guarantee high returns. Financial institutions offering investment services in Lithuania must be licensed or authorized by the Bank of Lithuania to provide these services, so be sure to check whether the company offering the service is authorized to provide such services in Lithuania.
3. Do not download unknown apps on your phone, especially at the request of untrustworthy individuals or companies. Certain apps, such as AnyDesk, TeamViewer and the like, are often used by scammers for fraud or criminal activities. If you already have such apps installed on your device, we recommend that you uninstall them.
4. We recommend that you do not open emails with suspicious content and links. If you receive an email or SMS containing a link asking you to enter your bank card details or to log in using a Smart-ID or Mobile-ID e-signature, it may be an attempt to steal your card details. If you are not sure whether the message is suspicious, it is recommended that you contact the sender via another channel (e.g. the telephone number published on the official website) to enquire about the information in the message. It is very important not to let your guard down and, if you receive a suspicious message, to take your time to click on the link, open the attached documents or download the attached files. It is recommended that you evaluate suspicious messages and check for spelling or logic errors.
5. Do not upload your bank card or identifying information to websites that you are not sure are trustworthy. Read the message in the transaction window carefully before confirming the transaction and make sure that you initiated the transaction yourself. If you are unsure, cancel the transaction.
6. When shopping online, make sure you are on a real website and not a copy. The website where you enter your bank card details must be secure. Check the URL of the page. We recommend that you check the seller's information, publicly available information and other users' reviews before buying.
7. Only approve requests or transactions with PINs that you have initiated yourself. Do not under any circumstances approve requests that you did not initiate.
8. Please note that Inbank does not initiate conversations with customers on social networks for the purpose of providing services, nor do we request any customer data through such channels.
If you have been or suspect that you have been the victim of a scam, please contact our customer service department and report the scam to the police.
If you have any questions or concerns, you can always contact our Customer Service Centre at +370 700 700 80 or email info@inbank.lt
