As of: February 19, 2024, 7:33 p.m
By: Kathrin Reikowski
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Banking app: Customers need to protect themselves from fraud.
© dpa/picture alliance/ Karl-Josef Hildenbrand
A fraudulent email is currently putting ING and Sparkasse customers at risk of losing a lot of money.
How you recognize them.
Munich - At the end of last year, Commerzbank customers' accounts were emptied, and now two other banks are apparently the focus of fraudsters.
“Dear customer, to date you have not confirmed your details.
As long as confirmation is pending, your account is deactivated for use,” says an email that is currently unsettling Sparkasse and ING customers.
Anyone who is already in a hurry or allows themselves to be rushed by the lines in the email and does not look closely is at particular risk of becoming a victim of a nasty scam.
As the consumer advice center writes, the phishing email has been in circulation since the end of January and works for customers of the two banks in almost the same, rather insidious way - they put the customers under pressure.
Scam emails put pressure on customers - this is where the danger lurks
After being informed that the customer has already failed to comply with a request and no longer has access to his online banking, the solution follows immediately: “Please start the confirmation using the button below and enter all the required data in full,” it says further in the email.
“Your account will then be activated again and you can continue as usual.”
There is then a red button for Sparkasse customers and an orange one for ING customers - each in the bank's usual colors.
While here at ING it says “for data comparison”, at Sparkasse it says “for confirmation”.
At the end of the Sparkasse email, customers are also thanked for their understanding.
In this way, the perpetrators obtain the consumers' login data, which they then use for real online banking.
This is how ING and Sparkasse customers recognize the phishing email
It is noticeable that there is no logo in any of the emails.
The impersonal salutation also clearly indicates phishing.
As a general rule, the consumer advice center also reminds you that a legitimate email from a bank would “never ask you to disclose data via a link”.
In December, the savings bank warned of a phishing email with the subject “Approval procedure invalid - action required.” The bank ING itself also warns of a fraudulent email that works under time pressure.
It ends up in your inbox with the subject: “Confirm your account details as quickly as possible!” The bank writes: “A well-crafted phishing email doesn’t just look good.
It manages to trigger an immediate need for action in you and eliminate all mistrust.” This happens by triggering pressure to act, threatening fees - or arousing curiosity.
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