We monitor the new ways criminals trick victims into giving out confidential information and funds.

Social engineering fraud is a broad term that refers to the scams used by criminals to exploit a person’s trust in order to obtain money directly or obtain confidential information to enable a subsequent crime. Social media is the preferred channel but it is not unusual for contact to be made by telephone or in person.

Forewarned is forearmed

Understanding the mechanism behind these different types of fraud is crucial to warn unsuspecting members of public so they are not taken unawares.

Some scams target a wide audience in order to trap as many victims as possible whereas others address specific individuals.

Phishing, Vishing and SMShing

Fake emails/text messages/telephone calls purporting to be from a legitimate source such as a bank or e-commerce site are used to induce individuals to reveal personal or financial information.

Telecom fraud

Random victims are contacted by a criminal claiming to be a friend, relative or someone in a position of authority and tricked into parting withsending money.

Business Email Compromise

Criminals hack into email systems to gain information about corporate payment systems, then deceive company employees into transferring money into their bank account.