Been receiving phone message or email saying you win the "Grand Prize" or SMS alert warning you that your debit card or credit card is used fraudulently. There are more and more fraud cases happen around us and the identity thefts have been using various methods to hijack your personal information. So, we are encouraged to learn how to spot a scam or fraud to prevent us from falling into the traps by the imposter.

Several banks have been putting up message in their website to teach the public to detect frauds by spotting the common signs of a scam or fraud. 诈骗案的共同点或特征如下。

1. Too good to be true 过好的优惠

It may be a phone message notifying you that you have won a lottery or contest which you don't even enter, asking for your personal information and bank details for transferring money. Or the scams will often offer a deal with high returns with  little financial commitment which seems too good to miss. Well, this is obviously a scam, because it it too good to be real!

2. An unknown phone call 不知名电话

If you receive an unknown phone call, make sure you verify the identity of the caller before answering any question asked by the caller. You may ask the caller to give you information that only the bank or company will know, for example, your account ID, member number, service contract details or payment details. If the caller sound fishy or suspicious, hang up and contact the bank or company directly using the contact number provided by the bank or company itself.

3. Asked to share personal details 要求个人资料

Do not share your personal information with anyone who you cannot verify or confirm the identity that they claim to be. They can use the details you gave to steal your identity and get your money.

4. Pressurized to respond quickly 催促行动/反应

Scammers will often urge you to make decision on the spot. They might pretending a friend sending urgent request for money saying they are trapped in foreign country and need money urgently. Also, the most happen kidnap scam call claiming your loved one is kidnapped and request a huge amount of money to be transferred to them immediately. Stay calm if you got such call and try to spot the possible signs of scams.

There are several ways of preventing yourself becoming a victim of frauds. 如何避免落入诈骗犯的陷阱？

1. Stay calm 保持冷静

If you receive any message saying your credit card is used fraudulently , don't panic! The only thing you need to do is contact the bank and they will have proper procedure to handle the situation. Keep in mind, only contact the number provided by the bank online or the customer hotline. Never call the number shown in the message. If you ever receive any phone number which is similar to customer hotline, please be aware as the hotline is only serve the purpose for the customers to contact the bank, not for the bank staff to contact the customer.

2. Do not click on the link in suspicious email 不要随便点击可疑的链接

It happens that the identity theft often sends out fraud email which look very similar to the original bank email. Fraud victims are informed that their banks are 'frozen' due to certain reasons and need to click on a link in the email for further confirmation. After clicking on the link, it is required to fill in personal details and THIS IS THE TIME where the identity theft steals the information! If you happen to get such email, please go to the bank in person to clarify it.

3. Stay alert 随时保持警惕

Compare to the official email from the bank, fraud emails tend to be more informal and may have grammars or spelling mistakes. The identity theft may register a web address that look alike with the online banking web address, with only one to two alphabets differences. Often, the victims didn't notice it and fall into the trap. Another advice is banks will often use postage of certain important documents instead of using email to inform the customers regarding any important issues.

Although it seems scary with the abundant ways of frauds, we can still spot the loophole as long as we stay alert and be careful! If you wish to read more about scams or frauds, click here for more details. 若发现可疑的诈骗案件或电话，可拨打马来西亚银行公会客服专线。

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(Photos taken from Google)