New Phone Scams Call to Steal Your Money

Scammers have taken to making calls via Skype - the popular Voice over IP calling software - and attempting to scare victims into downloading and installing rogue antivirus software, Brian Krebs wrote this week on his Krebs on Security blog.

Skype has more than 600 million users and, like other VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services, is very inexpensive, giving criminals an enticing new pool from which to draw.

Skype can as well be used to call landlines or mobile phones, meaning no matter where you are, a fake bank could put you in real danger.

The security-conscious

To the security-conscious, these ploys are easily thwarted by simply deleting the message and calling or visiting your bank branch to see if there is really a problem.

"If people fall for these scams, it is because they haven't learned to be as suspicious of strange texts as they may be of random phone calls or e-mails asking for information," Krebs told SecurityNewsDaily.

"A couple years back I saw a case in the Netherlands where the bad guys had gone as far as renting office space for their scam," Schouwenberg said. "Victims were sent e-mails with information on the 'new office' complete with a special phone number. The office was completely branded as the targeted bank, complete with desk clerks and fake clients."

"Be wary of unsolicited communication from your bank," Schouwenberg told SecurityNewsDaily. "When you suspect something is wrong, tell the person on the other line that you're going to contact the bank directly. Regardless of the communication method they used - phone, SMS or e-mail - simply use the contact information that's on your debit [or ATM] card."