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Cybersafe May 26, 2020

Incidents to be wary of

Ever since the placement of a community wide quarantine, several cyberattacks have taken place. Hackers are seeing the enhanced community quarantine as a chance to aim for people who are more vulnerable at this time.

 

The following incidents have already taken place:

 

  • The NBI Cybercrime division arrested 6 teenagers in Cavite for withdrawing money from bank accounts that aren’t theirs. The teenagers reasoned that they were finding difficulty in earning money since there was no income for them during the quarantine.

 

  • A man was arrested in Laguna for spreading a link that, once clicked, would take the information of the user. The link was spread using an email that looked like an official bank email. He was operating with a group that has taken the credentials of several people in order to use their debit and credit cards.

 

According to the NBI, the number of online fraud incidents have doubled since the beginning of the lockdown. It’s possible the incidents will only continue to perpetuate because people are confined to their homes. Due to the increase in online activity, individuals become more prone to accessing malicious emails, applications and websites.

 

These incidents serve as a reminder to continue being vigilant of the things that are capable of being accessed easily. Details such as one time passwords, birthdays, home and email addresses should be kept private. It’s recommended to have different email addresses for different purposes such as one email address for one bank account, and one email address for personal use. 

 

Banks have been amping up their security measures and spreading awareness of cyberattacks to its clients. Cybersecurity campaigns have been started with tips on keeping accounts secure, and the tell-tale signs of emails that are simply imitating official bank layouts to trick the receivers. Alerts on SMS are also being sent frequently to clients with reminders and warnings on cyberattacks. Clients are being encouraged to contact their respective banks regarding any cybercrime concerns.

 

This article is part of the Banker’s Association of the Philippines’ (BAP) #CyberSafe campaign, where the BAP aims to promote awareness in cybersecurity. The campaign will upload new posts tackling common web security questions and issues, on Wednesdays and Sundays every week.

For more content on cybersecurity, visit the BAP Official YouTube channel.