Smishing
What it is and how to recognise it
Smishing is a scam in which fraudsters send you a fake message by SMS, WhatsApp or another messaging service, asking you to click a link. The sender appears to be a familiar organisation, such as your bank, the government or a parcel delivery service. The message may seem trustworthy, but the link takes you to a fake website. It’s very important to be alert and recognise the signs. Can you tell the difference between a fake message and a real one?
How the scammers operate
Scammers manipulate your emotions and try to make you feel scared or curious. Their messages often sound urgent: something is about to expire, you have to confirm something or you owe money. They make it sound as if you must do something right away by clicking the link in the message. But if you click this link, it takes you to a website that may seem real, but has actually been created to steal your data or money.
Watch the video featuring Oman’s account of a scam
Oman never thought that this could happen to him. In the video, he explains how just one fake text message was enough to trick him out of money. And he tells us exactly when he realised that something was very wrong.
Tips on how to protect yourself and avoid smishing
- You have to ‘urgently’ take care of something or act ‘fast’. For example: you have an outstanding debt, you need to reconfirm something. Something is about to expire, your debit card, for example, or your credit card, your access to the ABN AMRO app or your account. Remember that we will never ask you to log in to the ABN AMRO app or Internet Banking through a link in a text message.
- Be very cautious about clicking links. Try using the ‘Checkjelinkje’ app.The police recommend this as a way of checking whether a link is safe.
- Never enter confidential data, such as your PIN or log-in details, on a website that you’ve accessed by clicking a link in a text message. Always open the website in your own browser.
- Change the passwords for your accounts regularly. And make sure that you’ve installed the latest software and security updates on your telephone.
- If you receive a fake SMS message, forward it to +31 (0)97 008 101 095 and then delete it. This will help us and other people. We investigate all suspicious messages forwarded to us by our clients.
- Good to know: Fraudehelpdesk.nl has examples of the latest fake text messages that are going around.
What to do if you fall victim to a scam
- Report it to the police and always notify us about the fraud
- Report it to the Fraud helpdesk
- Block the telephone number
- Gather evidence: save any information relating to this type of smishing scam, such as SMS texts, messages and bank statements.
- If you’d like to talk to other people who’ve been affected by scams, Victim Support Netherlands has an online support group (only in Dutch)
