Alpha Bank Romania continues its campaign to raise awareness and combat cyber fraud attempts, encouraging consumers to be vigilant so as to avoid phishing attacks or invest scam frauds, guaranteeing potential victims to get rich overnight through various investments by trading either shares or crypto-assets.

“The Internet is a fantastic place, bringing us absolutely everything we need one click away. Online investments can be an excellent opportunity, but there are also hidden dangers. Phishing and fraudulent investment schemes are like digital traps, ingenious fraud schemes designed to lure you in. Therefore, the security of personal and financial information must remain a top priority for everybody, especially in these situations. You have to always check the source and authenticity of the investment. Remember that offers and profits that seem too good to be true are, usually, just that – too good to be true. You have to invest only in trusted platforms and educate yourself on how online transactions work to protect your savings”, stated Florin Brănici, Digital Banking and Alternative Channels Manager, Alpha Bank Romania.

Be vigilant when you are guaranteed fabulous earnings and incredible discounts:

– Guaranteed earning opportunities from financial investments (cryptocurrencies, precious metals, shares in various companies or other assets).

– Winning competitions you did not participate in, or the delivery of orders you didn’t place.

– Fabulous discounts of 80% – 95% on products that are usually very expensive.

Recommendations for protecting personal and banking information:

– Ignore offers promising you easy gains or getting rich overnight, and don’t access links on social media platforms promising big money in a short period of time.

– Check the links: most of the time, they contain a fake address, they don’t contain the secure phrase “https” at the beginning of the address, but only “http”. Don’t download files from unsolicited messages because they may contain malware type viruses.

– If someone claims to be from a financial or government institution, ask them to provide you with their official contact details, and then check them.

– Do not provide personal and banking information such as PIN, card expiry date, CVV2/CVC code, passwords, or security codes. Always remember that you only need the IBAN code in order to collect money.

– Use multi-factor authentication wherever it is available, especially for bank and e-mail accounts. This measure gives you an additional level of protection.

– Buy only from trusted sources. Avoid ads with incredible discounts on social media, which more often than not lead to “ghost” web sites created with the purpose of stealing bank account access data.

– Ignore urgent requests. Fraud attempts are often based on pressure to obtain information. If you receive a message or call asking for immediate action or even threats, be skeptical and seek confirmation.

– Do not provide access to your devices. Install apps on your phone/computer only from official sources, and do not install apps that provide remote access at the request of others.

What do you need to do if you think you are a victim of online fraud?

– Immediately block the card from the online banking app or call the telephone number on the back of the card;

– Immediately change the passwords for the online apps and accounts from a device other than the one that has become vulnerable;

– Scan the vulnerable device with antivirus software in order to identify the presence of malware;

– Report the problem to the bank and/or to the organization which contacted you.

For further information and recommendations to ensure protection against cyber fraud, access Online Security (alphabank.ro).

About Alpha Bank Romania

Alpha Bank Romania is a member of the Alpha Bank Group, one of the largest banking and financial groups in Greece. The international activities of the Group are extended, in addition to Romania, to the United Kingdom, Luxemburg and Cyprus.

Alpha Bank Romania ranks among the top 10 banks in the country, with universal banking operations. The Bank has had a national presence of almost 30 years, offering a wide range of modern services and products for individuals, SMEs and the corporate segment. It is one of the financial institutions that have innovated the banking sector in Romania, being the first bank to launch an application that transforms an Android mobile device into a POS terminal. It was also the first bank in Romania to issue covered bonds in 2019 and the first in the market to introduce housing loans.