When the alms are too much, the saint is suspicious. The popular saying applies not only to real life, but also to virtual life. To avoid headaches when using the internet, the Center for Studies, Response and Treatment of Security Incidents in Brazil (CERT.br) of the Information and Coordination Center of Ponto BR (NIC.br) has launched a Internet Security Booklet entitled “Phishing and Other Scams”.
Available on the organization’s website, the primer shows how criminals take advantage of social engineering to apply online scams. In most cases, stoking the greed of users. A part-time job offer with the promise of easy money, a discount on merchandise that retailers never apply. At other times, they appeal to the internet user’s sense of caution, such as false purchase confirmations that ask to click on a link or call a false call center.
The booklet guides the identification of malicious actions, guides on how to act to avoid the traps of fraudsters, addresses the necessary precautions with banking operations and online purchases. The document presents concepts such as phishing, a type of fraud in which the scammer uses social engineering to obtain personal and financial information from the user.
The publication also provides tips on what to do if you fall for a scam. In the end, the main guideline is always to be suspicious. Although virtual contact does not provide elements such as body language, Cert.br and NIC.br show signs that help identify potential fraud and protect yourself from a scam.
Check out the main guidelines provided by the publication:
• Search for more information
In order not to fall for scammers, you need to be suspicious, remain calm and check whether the message you received or the content you saw on the internet is reliable. Look up source information, search for reports of similar scams, and talk to friends and family.
• Pay attention to the tone of the message
Scammers exploit people’s feelings, such as fear, obedience, charity, affection and greed, to convince them to act as they want and quickly, without thinking. Be wary of messages containing threats, easy earning opportunities, very large promotions or discounts, requests for secrecy, emotional appeal, sense of urgency.
• Question whether the content makes sense
Scammers often send mass messages with generic content hoping someone will “take the bait”. Questioning yourself about the content, and if it makes sense to you, helps you not fall into scams.
• Be aware of everyday scams
Be suspicious of messages with everyday topics such as: token re-registration, CPF cancellation, outstanding debts, job offers, points or bonuses due. Do not do what the message asks and, if in doubt, contact the institution using an official channel.
• Confirm identity before making financial transactions
Be wary of messages asking for financial help. If this occurs, contact the person through another means of communication and report the incident to the real account owner, friends and family. Another tip is to always check the recipient’s data before carrying out transactions.
Citizen on the Network
In addition to the issue, NIC.br released two 15-second animations of the Cidadão na Rede Project: “Fake profiles” and “Do not click on unknown links”?? The first video provides guidance to those who discovered that third parties impersonate them on social networks. The second alerts you to emails or messages that appear to come from reputable sources.
Produced by the NIC.br Center for Studies and Research in Network Technology and Operations, the videos disseminate good practices on the internet and teach notions of digital citizenship. The initiative produced 89 animations, which can be seen on the Projeto Cidadão na Rede website
A civil entity governed by private law and not for profit, in charge of operating the .br domain and distributing IP numbers (type of internet identity), NIC.br implements the decisions and projects of the Internet Management Committee in Brazil – CGI. br since 2005. All funds raised come from private activities. Mentioned by NIC.br, CERT.br’s mission is to increase the levels of security and incident handling capacity of networks connected to the Internet in the country.
