This article is from Trend Micro.
Banking payment scams are a scammer’s best friend and your worst enemy. This week we’ve identified two similar but separate cases — read on to get the low-down.
Users have reported SMS text messages as seen below. The would-be victim is helpfully alerted to an issue, with their card now being temporarily blocked. To enable it, you are asked to call the telephone number provided. Needless to say, don’t do it: it’s a direct line to the scammers — and could be the most expensive call you’ll ever make. (See below for a list of the SMS transcripts.)
Source: OTA
“you just sent a payment” Scam
Source: Reddit
Not to be outdone, other scammers have been sending out their own phishing SMS text messages — although they’re not terribly original. It’s the classic fake alert in which the would-be victim has supposedly sent a payment to someone, and must now follow the phishing link in order to dispute the transaction. The only problem is that once you fall for it and provide your credentials, you’ll lose much more than the original (and fake) amount.
Source: Reddit
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Source: pexels.com
Have you fallen for a hoax, bought a fake product? Report the site and warn others!
As the influence of the internet rises, so does the prevalence of online scams. There are fraudsters making all kinds of claims to trap victims online - from fake investment opportunities to online stores - and the internet allows them to operate from any part of the world with anonymity. The ability to spot online scams is an important skill to have as the virtual world is increasingly becoming a part of every facet of our lives. The below tips will help you identify the signs which can indicate that a website could be a scam. Common Sense: Too Good To Be True When looking for goods online, a great deal can be very enticing. A Gucci bag or a new iPhone for half the price? Who wouldn’t want to grab such a deal? Scammers know this too and try to take advantage of the fact. If an online deal looks too good to be true, think twice and double-check things. The easiest way to do this is to simply check out the same product at competing websites (that you trust). If the difference in prices is huge, it might be better to double-check the rest of the website. Check Out the Social Media Links Social media is a core part of ecommerce businesses these days and consumers often expect online shops to have a social media presence. Scammers know this and often insert logos of social media sites on their websites. Scratching beneath the surface often reveals this fu
How do I recover my crypto after it’s stolen? What happens if your crypto wallet is compromised? Can stolen crypto be traced, and can police actually recover crypto in 2026? These are the questions most people ask within minutes of realizing their wallet has been drained. Crypto theft is fast, quiet, and unforgiving. By the time most victims notice something is wrong, the funds are already moving across the blockchain. Once seen as a problem for exchanges and whales, crypto theft now heavily affects everyday investors. Phishing links, fake support chats, wallet approval scams, SIM swaps, and malware attacks have become common. Knowing what recovery realistically looks like—and what it doesn’t—can prevent panic, bad decisions, and costly follow-up scams. In a Nutshell Crypto recovery is possible, but only in limited situations Blockchain transactions are irreversible, but stolen crypto can still be traced Speed and documentation matter more than optimism Police and exchanges play a bigger role than private recovery services Guaranteed recovery offers are almost always scams Is it Actually Possible to Recover Stolen Crypto? Yes, crypto recovery is possible, but only under specific conditions and rarely through direct action by the victim. Blockchain transactions are final by design. Once crypto is sent and confirmed, it cannot be reversed. There is no central authority, no chargeback process, and no technical “undo” button, even if the transaction was clearly fraudulent. This is where many people ask whether stolen crypto can be traced. In most cases, it can. Every transaction