Security " Thieves " !

It seems that we are often our own worst enemy when it comes to guarding access to our cash.   The amount of information we make freely available on Facebook and the other social media networks makes " identity theft " easy for the pirates who plunder our bank accounts.

Most banks and credit card companies ask us to provide an answer to security questions to prove that we are the correct owner of the account any time we need to contact them - and several easily remembered questions are favourites.

" What was your mother's maiden name " ?  is certainly one of them, and  " What is the name of your pet dog or cat " ?  is another.

Both of those can be so innocently included in social chit chat on the Internet, and todays thieves usually research intended targets.  Now it seems that a new form of " phishing " has evolved using the Woolworths logo and described as a legitimate survey of  " customer satisfaction  "  with that trader's services.

The lure is a promised " reward voucher " for filling in a questionaire that asks some seemingly innocent questions.   You might be asked if you usually pay cash - or use a debit or credit card ?   Enquiring as to which bank - or whether Mastercard or Visa is involved -  would not seem unusual, until linking that answer with what you have freely provided on social media connects the dots to enable a raid on your account.

It certainly pays to be vigilant and avoid the suggested question themes offered by financial institutions. Keep in mind that the bandits know about these, so take the time to think up something original that can have no possible connection to anything disclosed on social media.

These " phishing " ploys are hard to resist because there are so many legitimate reward offers for market research on the Internet.   The chance of a free shopping voucher worth several hundred dollars is tempting.   The best policy is to assume that all such approaches are a scam - and consider each question asked from a security point of view.   In most cases, the evil intent becomes quickly obvious.

Theft by deception is now big business in the crime world.  The rewards run into hundreds of millions of dollars and the criminal fraternity includes gifted technicians who are top of their trade and interconnected across many countries.

That is something to keep in mind every time you use social media or respond to an email on the Internet.    During wars the phrase " Loose lips sink ships " was a common warning to promote vigilance.    Today - our bank accounts have become a new war zone - and that same vigilance is essential !