A sophisticated and dangerous scam nearly cost a married couple from Caserta €40. Only the bank's timely intervention prevented their account from being drained. The incident was reported by Fortunato Giaquinto, president of the Consumers' Union, who urged caution in similar cases.
The deception took place last November 20, when the spouses PG and MC, holders of a current account at BNL, received a call apparently coming from the bank's official toll-free number, 060060The caller, introducing himself as a BNL operator, informed the couple that their payment card was expiring and that to activate the new one, they needed to install an app on their smartphone and enter their personal information.
Fooled by the credibility of the number, the couple followed the instructions, believing they were reaching the bank's customer service.
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At this point, the real BNL operator immediately recognized the suspicious activity and checked the account, discovering that unauthorized transfers had been scheduled for a total of 40mila euros. These transfers, if completed, would have emptied the couple's account.
Transfers blocked in time
Thanks to the timely control, fraudulent transfers were blocked before being executed, thus saving the couple from a huge financial loss. The affair ended with the cancellation of the transactions and the start of an investigation to identify those responsible for the scam.
Fortunato Giaquinto, president of the Consumers Union, underlined the importance of Don't blindly trust calls, even if they come from apparently official numbers. “Banks never ask you to install applications via phone calls or provide sensitive data in this way”, Giaquinto said, urging citizens to contact their branch directly if they have any doubts.
Comments (1)
This article is very interesting and makes you think about how easy it is to fall for similar scams. It is important to always be cautious and verify the information before acting, especially when it comes to personal data.