Learn security measures that can prevent financial scams in revelry

The facilities for financial transactions, with payments through cards or apps, can expose consumers to the risk of fraud during Carnival. But, some preventive measures can hinder the action of criminals, in the agglomerations generated by the revelry. Check guidelines from the Federation of Banks of Brazil (Febraban), the Institute of Consumer Protection (Idec) and experts for revelers to enjoy the party safely.

It is important that the consumer remains attentive when paying with a card. Febraban points out that a common scam at this time of year is the exchange of the card by a scammer who pretends to be a street vendor. The director of the Febraban Fraud Prevention Committee, Adriano Volpini, explains how the fraud occurs: “The scammer uses a trick and diverts the reveler’s attention so that the victim enters the password in the field for the purchase amount. This allows the crook to discover the secret code. It is important to note that the password field must show only asterisks”.

“It is also very important that the person himself inserts the card into the machine and checks that the returned card is really his”,

adds Volpini.

The carnival designer must also enter the password so that it is not seen by others, check the amount entered in the machine, ask for the printed receipt and check the operation through the bank application.

There are also cases of scammers who deliver the machine for the customer to enter the card password and observe the dialed numbers. It is also common for the fake seller to deliver the machine to the buyer with the field for the purchase price and not the secret code, causing the password to be discovered.

The federation also calls for attention to the machine’s display, which if it is damaged, the consumer should not insert the card. In addition, it is important to always ask for a printed transaction receipt or check that the amount is correct in the messages from the financial institution. In the case of payment via QR Code or transfer, always check the amount and recipient of the money. In case of theft, the bank must be notified immediately and the consumer must file a police report.

approximation payment

The Consumer Defense Institute (Idec) warns that approximation payment requires care. A scammer can approach pockets, backpacks and fanny packs to debit card values.

For greater security, followers of street blocks should choose to carry change. But if you want to take the card, in addition to strengthening the protection, it is advisable to lower the daily transaction limit.

“In addition to the possibility of machines with a virus in commerce, the use with the function activated in places with a large circulation of people can result in involuntary transactions, due to scammers who program the machines to read values ​​randomly”,

points out Ione Amorim, coordinator of Idec’s Financial Services program.

One means of protection is the use of plates or cards with a frequency of magnetic waves that block card communication when not in use.

pix

Febraban advises customers to reduce the values ​​of each Pix transaction. To do this, just access the My Pix Limits function, in each bank’s app. In the case of payment via QR Code or transfer, check the amount and recipient of the money.

Cell phones

One more alert is in case the reveler has his cell phone stolen. As a precaution, the user must not have passwords for banks and payment cards saved on the device, for example, in notepads, emails, WhatsApp messages or elsewhere on the cell phone. Another protection mechanism is activation of automatic home screen lock and facial/digital biometrics to access the cell phone and applications.

On the pre-carnival weekend, in São Paulo, at least 110 cell phones were stolen, according to a report by the Civil and Military Police. These were the devices recovered by the agents. In addition, 14 people were arrested during the blocks. Police actions were expanded this month to act and curb crimes against revelers. Most of the occurrences were robberies and thefts.

However, if even with all care, the theft or scam is consummated, the bank must be notified immediately, so that extra security measures are adopted by the entity, such as blocking the app and access passwords. The victim of the crime must also file a police report with the local police.

Banks’ liability

The Idec coordinator draws attention to the responsibility of the banks. “Banking and payment institutions must keep consumers informed about these precautions. In addition to establishing a term of adherence to the mechanism, how to inform limits per transaction, where and how to protect payment instruments, in addition to the physical card, cell phone and smartwatch.”

According to Ione, the Central Bank established a rule for banks to adjust to the security issues of this approach payment mechanism, but the deadline for it to come into effect is July.

“It consists of offering the customer the possibility of activating and deactivating payment by approximation directly in the institution’s application. This measure is important because it allows the consumer not to be vulnerable in specific situations, without having to call the bank to obtain the temporary deactivation.”

other tips

Some previous measures in the use of cell phones can be adopted to avoid headaches. Who teaches how to protect yourself is the coordinator of the Cyber ​​Defense course at the Faculty of Technology of the State (Fatec) Jundiaí, Benedito Petroni:

– Write down your IMEI number – this is the unique identification number of each cell phone. In case of theft or theft, you can call the operator and request the block. Thus, the cell phone will be blocked from accessing mobile networks. A shortcut to access the IMEI is to type *#06# on the dial pad and the number will automatically appear.

– Enter a strong password – a password, containing uppercase, lowercase, special characters and numbers, helps make your device more secure. Not repeating the same password in multiple applications and networks is also important, as well as not writing down passwords in the notepad application.

– If your phone supports it, always opt for digital unlocking – in addition to accessing the device itself, this is a great choice to activate the opening of applications, such as banking applications.

– Keep apps always up to date. The coordinator explains that this is an important security measure for cell phones, regardless of the operating system.

– Leave the NFC function always turned off – although the smartphone approximation payment tool offers facilities, keeping it disabled is necessary, especially in places with crowds of people.

– Use the device’s ‘Secure Folder’ feature for apps that contain sensitive information – feature can be used for banking apps, emails, photo gallery and others. Using fingerprint unlock for the folder is an extra measure of protection.

– Enable two-factor authentication in all applications where the feature is available – the more security devices, the lower the risk of cell phone intrusion or data theft.

– If your cell phone has a native tracking application, keep it always on – this feature will point out the location of the device and can help in police searches. The coordinator also indicates that, among all the tips, the best one to enjoy the revelry is: not taking your cell phone.

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