Nikita Global

About fraud or “But Grandmother! What big teeth you have!”

Chatting with friends and relatives in facebook and messengers is something you have being doire more often than regular phone for ages. You know these people well and for a long time, you trust them and you are ready to help whenever it’s needed and so they do. What if your brother or a girl-friend would run out of money on the card somewhere faraway and ask you for help in skype or facebook? But wait and don’t make instant decision better ask yourself and than your friend if it is really him or her? Skype password guessing or cracking is not something easy but is still possible. Me personally I’ve being contacted this way many times and 90% was a fraud. How to deal with 90% and to spoil relations with the rest 10%?
First of all you should be informed what cybercriminal can know and what he cant. Well, he knows a lot:

  • First of all he has access to all you’ve discussed online with your buddy
  • He knows everything you have stated in your profile – your name, age, college, photos, city or town, your contacts, check-ins etc.

But still there a lot of things he is unable to know. Everything besides internet life, which becomes less and less.
I doubt that you are going to transfer money to someone you know only online, but what if you’re being contacted from the account of your neighbor or partner? Don’t be afraid to look strange and do not hesitate to tell that you’re quite willing to help but you have to be sure that your buddy is really someone he should be. In the most cases the hacker will leave you with some “righteous indignation”. If the conversation goes on, you can try the following:

  • The most simple way is a voice and video call which is currently available in almost any instant messenger and when all smartphones and laptops have cameras. This is considered to be trusted method used by all payment services to identify customer. The cons is that fast internet is required.
  • Ask a question which can be answered only by your pal or at least by some small group of people. Even if this group is all the school or all stuff of the company (500-1000 men) it is still not very much. Hacker is not definitely one of them. What is the car of Chief Accountant? Who broke the pot with cactus in the canteen? Who sat at one desk with you at school?
  • And finally the IT way. “2 factor authorization”. Make a regular phone call or SMS to the number you know.

If you meet some misunderstanding and your friend is real, you can explain the risk of such fraud and share this post with him.