What is Phising and how can I be protected?

Phishing is an act of deception or otherwise of obtaining personal or other confidential information, usually of a financial nature, such as debit or credit cards, or account passwords, online. There are a number of ways cybercriminals attempt to defraud, such as via e-mail, text or social media messages, or fake websites.

More specifically:

Phishing websites, often referred to as spoofed websites, are frequently used by cybercriminals to elicit information from unsuspecting victims. Spoofed websites often look like legitimate websites, so you have to take great care not to disclose personal information like your passwords! For example, a website may look similar in appearance and structure to the website of Magenta Pay and ask you to enter your card details or other personal information. Remember that only by using the Magenta Pay app on your mobile phone can you carry out transactions or manage your account.

E-mail Phishing is an attempt to elicit personal or other confidential data via e-mail.

“Smishing” means text message (SMS) Phishing. In this case, a text message is sent which requires the user to proceed with an urgent action, such as visiting a website and providing personal information, e.g. debit card details or passwords. The difference with phishing e-mails is that the message is sent to the user’s phone instead of their e-mail account.
Angler Phishing is a fraud technique whereby cybercriminals use social media to persuade users to disclose personal information, usually by acting as customer service representatives. They therefore take advantage of the fact that most companies are networked on social media, and very often customers communicate via these platforms for faster service. Once again, the cybercriminal’s goal is to extract important personal information from the user, such as their card details, or to install malicious software on the user’s device.

How can you protect yourself?

- Do not click on links. It is preferable to type in the URL.
- Keep your browser version up to date.
- Do not download and install any software sent to you via e-mail or text message.
- Don't send any personal information.

Be very careful when an e-mail asks you to disclose or confirm personal information, account numbers, or passwords. Magenta Pay will never ask you (by phone, e-mail, or any other means of communication) for your passwords. They are private and you must not disclose them to anyone.

Often, even if the e-mail you have received appears to be genuine, it is preferable to contact the company presented as the sender of the message by phone, to confirm its authenticity. It is important to verify the authenticity of messages before responding to them.

Also, remember:

You must be very careful when prompted to take immediate action, such as asking you to confirm your personal details immediately, or your account will be deleted, etc. In this case, the goal of a cybercriminal is not to allow users to think about their actions calmly, but to react immediately, doing what they are asked to do."