Fraud using the so-called spoofing is a cyberattack that involves impersonating trusted people, devices or institutions in order to deceive the victim and extort confidential information, data or money.
As much as 37 percent Poles who encountered an attempt to extort personal data experienced it over the phone – according to research by ChronPESEL.pl and the National Debt Register.
The pattern of operation of fraudsters is often similar. The telephone conversation begins by instilling fear: “someone took out a loan using your details” or “a suspicious transfer was made.”
Criminals then try to extort passwords, authorization codes, payment card details or gain remote access to the victim's computer by installing additional software. Thanks to “spoofing” technology, they can impersonate any telephone number or even the name of an institution, which makes their activities extremely difficult to detect.
PKO BP – verify the identity of the interlocutor via the IKO application
To increase the security of its customers, PKO BP has introduced a function in the IKO application that allows you to verify the identity of the caller. How does it work?
— When talking to a person pretending to be a bank employee, you should request verification in the IKO application.
— A notification will be sent to the customer's phone with the caller's details: name, surname, position and location from which he or she is calling.
— The client should compare this data with the information provided by the interlocutor. If everything is correct, you can continue the conversation. Otherwise, you should immediately hang up and report the incident to the bank's hotline at 800 302 302.
PKO BP also reminds that bank employees never ask customers for:
— login and password for electronic banking,
— installation of additional software,
– sharing your computer's desktop.
Customers should be especially careful and never provide this information over the phone, even if the caller seems trustworthy.
Write down the hotline number
PKO BP appeals to every customer to save the bank's hotline number in their phone: 800 302 302. Quick contact with the bank can prevent serious financial consequences in the event of an attempted fraud.
