Containment has a considerable impact on cyber scams
With the continuation of 100% teleworking in this second period of confinement, and with the anxiety-inducing context resulting from this health crisis, online scams are intensifying. Online scammers and swindlers (cyber-criminals, as they are known) are having a field day at this complex time, stepping up their cyber-attacks. A study by Checkpoint Research, a company specialising in IT security, shows an 80% increase in online phishing campaigns in France in the first half of November. As a reminder, a phishing campaign is a scam committed by e-mail with the aim of stealing victims' personal information. Many victims have been identified, particularly in Normandy. Fraudulent SMS messages, fake orders, imitations of well-known e-commerce sites, etc. made these Normandy residents the target of scams during this period of confinement. These people are speaking out to warn of the dangers of online fraud.
Olivier, the scammed Leboncoin seller
Olivier, a father from Rouen, France, regularly uses the Leboncoin website to buy or sell second-hand goods. On 8 November, Olivier decided to place an ad on Leboncoin to sell an office he wanted to part with. On the very day the ad was published, he received a number of messages, some of them with dubious syntax. Some of these messages were of dubious syntax, posing as buyers who were falsely interested in Olivier's ad. Their aim is simple: they want to gain the seller's trust by exchanging messages with them in order to obtain their personal information. To do this, the scammers get Olivier to go to the Paypal online payment site, which is nothing more than a copy of the site, so that he can reveal his bank details.
The right thing to do: If you're in the same situation as Olivier, simply do a search in a search engine like Google, typing in "buyer's name + scam". You'll then be able to do your research on potential buyers when you post an ad on an ad site and want to make sure it's not a scam.
Kevin, the fake client of a freelance graphic designer
As a freelance graphic designer, the 28-year-old from Caen found an advert posted on Facebook. A student in Rouen, Kevin decided to answer the ad because he was looking for clients to work as a freelance graphic designer. The advert he replied to concerned a request to create a poster. Kevin chatted to his supposed client on Facebook for 2 weeks. However, Kevin realised that he had been scammed shortly after sending his quote for the project requested by the client. Once the customer had approved the quote, Kevin then asked for a deposit and sent them his bank details so that he could be paid. The victim then explained that in order to take action, the scammers created a false cheque and directly debited the sum of €4,000 from the freelance graphic designer's account. Kevin explains that he didn't suspect anything at first, as the scammers were using fake Facebook accounts and acting like normal customers.
The right thing to do: When you respond to an advertisement from a private individual, ask the customer to make a video or telephone call to you. If they refuse for no obvious reason, you can be sure that they are a scammer. What's more, if you notice any inconsistencies, tell your bank immediately.
Patricia, the fake parcel scam
This 56-year-old woman from Le Havre narrowly missed falling for a recurring Internet scam. It's a scam known as the "fake parcel scam". For those unfamiliar with this scam, you are contacted directly on your mobile phone. A text message is sent to you by an unknown (but not masked) number. This informs you that there is a parcel waiting for you but that it cannot be delivered because it has not been franked. The message then asks you to click on a link. Once you have clicked on the link, you land on a website that copies the visual identity of La Poste.
Typical message you receive in the event of a fake parcel scam
And that's what happened to Patricia. The victim received a text message telling her that the postage for her parcel had not been paid and that it could therefore not be delivered. She explained that the message contained a link to a fake website, which visually resembled that of the Post Office. On the fake site, she discovered that she was being asked to pay the sum of €1.50. But Patricia wasn't fooled and realised it was a scam. And fortunately, because she could have lost a lot once her bank details were copied.
The right thing to do: If you are contacted via an unfamiliar channel, simply check on the official website of the service provider (in particular the Post Office) whether it is their usual practice to act in this way.
Don't fall into the traps of scammers
As a result, the number of online scams affecting individuals (but also businesses, by damaging their image) has exploded, due to the confinement and development of teleworking. So you need to be extra vigilant to avoid falling into scammers' traps. To avoid this, we suggest that you use a secure payment method to guarantee your purchases and sales in complete confidence on ad sites such as Leboncoin. This is also essential for freelancers who want to be sure that their customers pay them. There's a very simple solution for this. It's calledObvy, and it's a secure payment method for private individuals and professionals that guarantees 100% secure transactions.
With Obvy as your payment method, you no longer have to worry about scams between individuals. With the escrow system, the funds are kept safe in a digital safe for the duration of the transaction. And they are paid to the seller only when both buyer and seller are satisfied! Of course, this security also applies to hand-delivered transactions. So don't hesitate any longer and take the plunge with Obvy, for completely secure transactions!