Cybersecurity centres sees significant rise in reports of telephone fraud
The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) has received significantly more reports of vishing, or phishing via voice calls, in recent months. There were 226 reports in the last quarter of last year and 106 in January this year.
The story told by telephone scammers varies. “Sometimes they pretend to be the police, saying that you are mentioned in a file. In recent reports, they claim to be calling on behalf of Proximus, Argenta or Card Stop,” said CCB spokesperson Katrien Eggers.
Such fraudulent calls are not new but they recur regularly, warns the CCB. “It comes in waves, with many reports in December and January, and the upward trend seems to be continuing in February,” said Eggers. The increase can partly be explained by recent campaigns on telephone fraud, which have made people more alert.
The calls often come from foreign numbers and start with a robocall. If the victim presses a number, an operator, in this case a fraudster, comes on the line.
People can limit the risk by being wary of unknown numbers and, if in doubt, not proceeding, Eggers added. “It is particularly important not to share any passcodes over the telephone.”
Illustration © PHOTO IMAGEBROKER
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