The disaster in Syria and Turkey affects us all and many Belgians want to contribute. At Safeonweb, we have been asked the last few days whether we could already intercept e-mails from scammers. Until today, we could detect one message that was blatantly an attempted scam. We also see websites popping up whose authenticity is difficult to ascertain.
In addition, we also see people having doubts: we get forwarded e-mails that are not fake and therefore do indeed come from e.g. the Red Cross, Save the Children and Handicap International. It is always better not to transfer money if you are not always 100% sure.
Choose a safe way to donate so that your contribution does not fall into the wrong hands
Because it is just super difficult to distinguish fake and genuine messages, we have only one tip if you want to donate for the earthquake victims.
Go to the website of 1212.be consortium, or search yourself for the website of the organisation you want to support (e.g. Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Plan International, etc...).
Got a suspicious message? Forward it to suspicious@safeonweb.be and delete it.
Example of a fake mail:
Don't fall into the trap!
Learn to identify fake e-mails.
Take the phishing test now and don’t be caught out ever again!
What to do?
- Do not click on a link in a suspicious message or open attachments.
- Do not forward the message to your contacts.
- Suspicious emails can be forwarded to suspicious@safeonweb.be.
- Suspicious text messages can also be forwarded. Take a screenshot and send it to suspicious@safeonweb.be. The content is then processed automatically.
Did you click on a suspicious link?
- If you have clicked on the link, do not complete the fields and terminate any interaction.
- If you have entered a password that you also use elsewhere, change it immediately.
- If you have clicked on a link that opens a website where you have to submit bank details, first check that this is the real website of your bank. If you have the slightest doubt, do not make a payment.
Have you been scammed?
- If you have lost money or are being extorted, we recommend that you file a report with your local police straight away.
- Contact your bank and/or Card Stop on 078 170 170 (+32 78 170 170 from abroad) if you have passed on bank details, money is disappearing from your bank account or if you have transferred money to a scammer. In this way, any fraudulent transactions can be blocked.
- If you want to report fraud, you can contact your bank via a special number: https://beschermjezelfonline.be/bank-contacteren-voor-hulp
