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How to protect yourself against online scams, by FirstBank

*The bank says a recent increase in online transactions have spurred an increase in cybercrime

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

With the world gradually easing off the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and part of its consumer education initiatives, the First Bank of Nigeria Limited has said that online transactions have increased and this development also, has spurred an increase in cybercriminals.

The leading financial institution stated on its Web site, that these fraudulent individuals have updated their dubious tactics, targeting unsuspecting online consumers, and Websites are cloned.

Below are some of the despicable tactics they do, according to the bank:

Fake Social Media Pages: Using prominent people, they clone their pages and then slide into DM’s of contacts in order to request for donations on false activities.

A major example is benevolence, seeking financial support for an orphanage that is non-existent.

Email Scams: Creating fake e-mail accounts, they trick consumers into clicking attachments that steal passwords, e-mail addresses and even your bank details.

Fake Texts and Calls: This trick by the cybercriminals is as old as time. However, they keep innovating on how they attack their unsuspecting victims. They go as far using a close relative name to reach you.

The above are just a few of the samples of how scammers are taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic the world is going through.

Therefore, it is very important to learn how to protect yourself from being a victim of these scams.

Here are 5 tips that will keep you safe:

Double check before you click and open that email. Always check the website address and email address. For example, our Web site is www.firstbanknigeria.com; any alteration from this makes the Web site fake.

That WhatsApp broadcast message with a link should be triple checked. Do not click on any unfamiliar or suspicious links, or comply with requests for sensitive/private information, unless you are 100% sure you can trust the source.

Have a One-Time Password (OTP) app on your phone. A multi-factor authentication is needed.

Your anti-virus software on your phone should be updated everytime to avoid illegal access

Secure your home Wi-Fi network, as your home Internet can be a target. Change the password and reduce access to it.

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