17.03.2023
As now is the time for refunding overpaid income tax, an upsurge has been seen in telephone scammers trying to trick people out of Smart-ID in order to loot victims' bank accounts.
In recent days, LHV has noticed cases where criminals who have obtained a person's Smart-ID are using it to try to open a bank account, make payments or use banking services without the person's knowledge. The Bank urges vigilance, as skilled scammers can pose credibly as both police officers and bank employees. Once criminals have the victim's Smart ID on their device, they can use it to carry out a range of costly operations.
Annika Goroško, Head of Retail Banking at LHV Pank, said that although there have fortunately only been a few of such cases at LHV Pank so far, there are signs of a new scheme. “In particular, Russian-speaking scammers have become more active, posing as police officers or bank employees, looking for people on the phone who do not have a Smart-ID, but who can be lured into using their Mobile-ID or ID-card and entering PIN codes. This is how scammers put a Smart-ID on your device without your knowledge and use it to defraud money,” said Goroško.
“We remind you that when you receive a call from a bank or an unfamiliar official, you should take time to think about the right thing to say. If necessary, you should contact the service provider directly. In most cases, criminals focus on a problem that needs to be solved quickly, such as an unauthorised banking transaction, in order to rush people and prevent them from thinking twice. Entering a PIN2 with the personal identification tool is the equivalent of a person's signature - in order to enter it, a person has to be 100% sure of what they are doing,” said Goroško.
If you notice anything suspicious, you should react immediately and contact the service provider and the police.
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