[PHISHING SECURITY ALERT] S$ 446,000 Lost In 2 Weeks of DECEMBER

For our thread today, allow me to veer away from our popular threads of interests to interject this PHISHING SECURITY ALERT because within a two-week period in DECEMBER 2023, customers of one of the biggest banks in Singapore lost approximately S$ 446,000, all because of PHISHING.  Of course, there is NOTHING NEW about PHISHING as we have covered our grounds quite several times on this [NOTE:  These incidents were investigated & confirmed that the bank is NOT culpable]📗📙📘

I myself, I received at least two SMS messages last December, purportedly advising me that 'YOUR DELIVERY IS ON HOLD. PLEASE CLICK THIS'.  It was as simple as that.  WHAT action did I take?  IGNORE it, period.  WHY?  Once you CLICK a link sent to you, either via email or via SMS, God knows what will happen next.  Try CLICKING it and the device you used will be tagged from thereon💵💴💷

For a quick debrief, people WHO attempt PHISHING attacks are usually a group of professionals [NOTE, they are PROFESSIONALS] running ILLEGAL operations.  And WHEN calling OR sending emails to customers or victims, the hackers take a common approach of asking to help customers RESET or UPDATE their banking data by asking for login OR other personal information.  And that can be done by CLICKING on a link or verifying personal information over the phone to an automated call or live individual📌📌📌

So, HOW can you really PREVENT PHISHING?  People are easily enticed to CLICK on links that seems either exciting, worrisome OR inquisitive.  DON'T be easily provoked to CLICK on any links until you consider WHO is the email or SMS sender + WHAT is the intent  + WHERE the links OR instructions are asking you to go❎❎❎

So HOW?

• CHECK THE SOURCE [of the email or SMS]
• VALIDATE THE LINK [call hotline if you can't]
• DETERMINE THE PURPOSE [of email or SMS]
• CHECK FOR ERRORS [in the email or SMS]
• REPORT SUSPICIONS IMMEDIATELY

These are no-brainers, dude.  To be forewarned is to be forearmed❗❗❗