Status: 11.01.2024, 19:06 PM
By: Ulrike Hagen
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In a recent security alert, the savings banks in Germany warn their customers about fake e-mails and intensified attacks by Trojans.
Bremen – Banks in Germany are once again sounding the alarm about potential fraudsters who could deceive customers. After fraudsters recently exploited a security vulnerability at Commerzbank to empty accounts, and last December also warned savings banks of a devastating scam, there is an urgent security warning from the Sparkasse Finance Group to its customers right at the beginning of the new year: It points to phishing e-mails as well as attacks by banking Trojans, which can cause high financial damage to the victims.
In a recent security alert, the savings banks in Germany warn their customers about fake e-mails and intensified attacks by Trojans. (Symbolic image) © Kirchner-Media/Wedel/Imago
Sparkasse warns customers of "unusual account movements"
The current warning from the computer emergency team of the savings banks in Germany warns of fraud attempts in online banking. There is an increasing number of fake e-mails sent in the name of the savings bank. The e-mails had subject lines such as "Unusual activity detected!".
The emails ask you to visit a fraudulent website under the pretext of unusual account movements. "Caution: Please do not enter any data on the phishing pages. These could be used by fraudsters, for example, to make fraudulent phone calls in the name of the savings bank," it says.
Current scam at the savings bank: Computer experts warn customers "urgently"
It also warns of attacks by banking Trojans. Currently, the occurrence of malware on Android smartphones can be observed more frequently, which switches on when the Sparkasse app or the pushTAN app is called. Instead of the app being accessed, the malware displays deceptively similar dialog boxes of its own, which prompt you to enter your online banking access data as well as your credit card number, its expiration date and the CVV code.
"CAUTION: If you comply with these requests, the perpetrators can use this data to register your credit card for S-ID-Check or to take over an existing registration," the computer experts explain. "As a result, the fraudsters could then misuse your credit card to pay for purchases on the Internet."
Sparkasse Finance Group advises customers: Act immediately in the event of fraudulent e-mails and phishing attempts
Customers who have received phishing e-mails and entered data, confirmed a transfer or observed the above-mentioned behavior should act immediately – and contact their savings bank.
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Again and again, criminals use perfidious fraud methods to try to get hold of customers' bank data. The savings bank is not spared from such attacks - with 353 institutions, over 11,000 branches and more than 40 million current accounts nationwide (as of January 1, 2024), it is a worthwhile target for crooks.
Most recently, consumer advocates warned customers of the savings bank about a scam from Norway. The consumer advice centre also reported a wave of fraud at six banks, which affected not only the savings bank, but also Volksbank and ING, among others.