New wave of scam callers, beware!

[Rocket-Boy]

Im sure some people will already know this but there was a data breach at Experian that exposed a lot of personal information.

Well that information is now out in the wild and freely available on the internet.

https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2020-09-13-data-from-huge-experian-breach-found-on-the-internet/

 

What I have been seeing a lot on SA tech forums is that people are experiencing a lot more scam calls where the person knows a lot of your personal details. Those details have been gathered from the breach so they can be very convincing.

 

So be wary of anyone who calls and knows that info, sometimes its best to take the name of the "consultant" and offer to call back on the official call center number of the company to speak to them.

If they are scammers that sorts them out instantly, if not then at least you have peace of mind.

 

I still think there should be a lot more consequence for Experian but with POPIA not being in effect there is little that can be done.

 

Just as important is to check your bank statements for any suspicious debit orders, apparently a lot of fraudulent accounts are being opened using that info.

[LongDonkey]

Just as important is to check your bank statements for any suspicious debit orders, apparently a lot of fraudulent accounts are being opened using that info.

Yes, i can attest to that. 

Edited October 2, 2020 by LongDonkey

[Ispeed_V]

Can also relate.

 

Just the other had, had a call from some heavily accented chap from a so called fraud department claiming that there was a fraudulent transaction done on my card at PnP.

 

When I questioned him about it he got all arrogant.

 

Then when I told him that I work for a bank and that there has been no suspicious activity on my account, puts the phone down.

 

Be careful out there.

[DR ◣◢]

Looking forward to their attempts

[jimmycool]

On the other hand, I did a fairly large eft yesterday and a had quite a few calls from an 087 number that I ignored as I assumed it was a spam call. Today they phoned again and I decided to answer. Turned out it was fnb just wanting to verify that it was in fact me who had done the eft.

I have often had the bank phone me to verify credit card purchases but this was the first time they had done it for an eft and I was wondering why. Maybe this data breach is making them follow up on out-of-the-ordinary activity on accounts more closely.

[LongDonkey]

Looking forward to their attempts

Be careful what you wish for. If they open an account with a stoopid company like ******** who do zero checks and dont care that they have been given BS info (they happen to sell short term insurance, funeral benefits etc and other stuff). You proceed to close said account with them via police affidavit, they debit your account, you close that account as you figure someone has leaked your account details, then they proceed to debt collectors etc who will eventually black list you. Its a damn painful experience trying to catch people before they mess with your credit rating and livelihood.

[DR ◣◢]

I meant the guys trying to phone with their scam stories.

[Cois]

Time for a new cellphone number it seems,

[Rocket-Boy]

Yeah this warning is a lot less for the people who follow tech as most would know about it.

Its more for the people who might not be aware.

Its turning into a big mess and the calls are more targeted now with more information available to them.

 

If it feels suspicious then end the call and call back on an official number.

[DR ◣◢]

My info was leaked a while back to these JSE scammers. The guy had everything down to my address and ID number. Granted the address was about 12 years old.