I fell for an internet scam, what now? Experts give tips on what to do if you become a victim | Economy

With the large number of people using the internet and social networks, the number of online product offers is also growing, as well as misleading offers, so-called scams. Once a person is a victim of one, they may think there is nothing they can do, but that is not the case.

Bruno Trigo, risk manager at 99Pay, shared some recommendations on what to do after falling for a digital scam. Check out a list of what to do if you deal with some of the most common scams on the internet:

Phishing

Phishing is one of the most common scams, where fraudsters pretend to be known companies to “fish” for users’ confidential information.

Did you fall for the scam? Immediately notify the financial institution responsible for your account or card. Keep an eye on your financial information and use online security measures.

“If fraudulent activity is suspected, act quickly to increase your chances of recovery”, he points out.

DIA contacted the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Febraban), which endorsed the specialist’s explanation and highlighted that “the bank never calls the customer asking for a password or card number and also never calls to ask to make a transfer or any type of payment. When receiving a suspicious call, the customer must hang up, get the phone number on the card and call from another phone to get the story straight.”

Fake Profiles

In this method, the scammer creates a fake profile using the victim’s basic information to contact people in the individual’s social circle and invent a convincing story to justify a transfer request.

Did you fall for the scam? According to the expert, recovering the money can be challenging, especially in the case of a Pix sent to the scammer. In cases of fraud, it is possible to request a refund from the financial institution through the Special Return Mechanism (MED). Go to the nearest police station and file a police report.

“The moment is tense and stressful, both emotionally and financially. I see that many people end up in despair — which is understandable, but it doesn’t help to find solutions. The first step is to try to calm down, to find possible ways to reverse or avoid further losses”, explains Bruno.

How to specifically use MED

According to information released by Banco do Brasil, the victim of a scam must register the refund request at their institution within 80 days of the date on which the Pix was made. The procedure works like this:

– Make a complaint with the banking institution;

– The bank evaluates the case and, if it understands that it is part of the MED, the recipient of your Pix will have the funds blocked from the account;

– The case is analyzed within seven days. If they conclude that it was not fraud, the recipient will have the resources unlocked. If it is fraud, within 96 hours the victim will receive the money back (in full or in part).

MED can also be used when there is an operational failure in your institution’s Pix environment — for example, the bank carries out a duplicate transaction. In this case, he assesses whether there was a failure and, if so, the money is returned within 24 hours.

What if none of this works? Lawyer specializing in digital law Maurício Zerbini explained that it is still possible to try to get the money back.

“If all other options fail, the person can consider seeking legal assistance to sue the bank and recover the lost amount. A specialized lawyer can advise on the best measures to be taken in your case”, he advises.

Who has been there?

Advertising student Daniela Rondón said that she has already suffered a scam that caused disruption. She, who is Venezuelan and lives in Niterói, said that her card was cloned when she made payments for her college.

“My card was cloned numerous times. I was able to find out where the cloning was being done, when paying for my college tuition. Every month, when the monthly payment was debited from my card, one or two days later, several purchases were made on the same card “, account. “I had to change the payment method because the college assured that the system was safe and there was no risk of scams, but I only used the same one in that place”, he adds.

After contacting Itaú bank, Daniela says she managed to have the amount refunded.

Neuza Nascimento de Abreu, 54-year-old Patisserie chef, says he fell for a scam involving the purchase of cell phones.

“In December, I saw on Instagram that several people on the internet were buying cell phones from a company that, according to them, won an auction by the Federal Revenue Service for cell phones seized at customs. As there were several people from the artistic world and people from the evangelical world, I thought that it was safe. I got in touch and paid in cash because I would have a discount. The company informed me that it would take a while due to the volume sold. When it was three months later, they started to put pressure on me. all social networks. Before that, they gave me three false tracking codes. Anyway, to this day I haven’t received a refund of my money and I haven’t had any more access to the company, I even sent a message to the influencers who continued to promote it, but I didn’t get a refund”, he says. .

According to a recent study by Nord Security, a digital security company, 71% of Brazilians have already become victims of at least one online scam.

Procon of the State of Rio de Janeiro and Procon Carioca did not respond to an attempt to contact them to inform what measures should be taken by the victim of a scam.

Preventing problems

Better than figuring out how to deal with a scam is not even being a victim of it. Because of this, the DIA has separated four tips from experts Maurício Zerbini to escape these scams.

– Never share personal or financial information, such as credit card numbers, passwords or security codes, via email, phone or text messages unless you are sure the request is legitimate.

– Keep your computer, smartphone and other electronic devices protected with up-to-date antivirus and security software to prevent hackers from gaining access to your personal data.

– Be alert to emails, texts or phone calls that ask for personal or financial information or that appear suspicious. Scammers often try to trick people using phishing tactics.

– When shopping online, check that the website is safe and trustworthy by looking for signs like the padlock in the address bar and URLs that start with “https://”. Avoid shopping on unknown or unsafe websites.

The Consumer Protection Institute (Idec) also highlights user empowerment when blocking access to information. In a note, the entity states that some applications ask for much more information than is necessary and blocking this access also makes your browsing safer.

“Avoid providing your data to any and all applications or websites that appear out there. You don’t need to allow access to everything that belongs to you for an app to work. They ask for more things than they need to be able to offer you a service. Deny everything you can. Also delete your data on applications and social networks that you no longer use”, advises Idec in a note.