Rafael Núñez Helps You Avoid Becoming a “Phishing” Victim
The informatics security specialist recommends not opening suspicious e-mails, or answering calls from people who haven’t been authorized by banking entities or social media platforms.
Rafael Núñez Aponte, MásQueSeguridad’s director, explained in an interview with the Dominical Republic’s news channel Telenoticias how to avoid phishing, an identity theft technique used by cyber-criminals to obtain users personal data and steal vital information, such as bank or social media passwords.
Victims are usually tricked by digital criminals through fake e-mails, which they use to pretend to be a bank asking users to update their data, or by sending them fake resort and hotel offers.
“The body of the e-mail contains a link to a website visually identical to the bank’s, but the URL is different – an I.P. Address or something else (…) we know the bank will never ask you to update your information through any means except at a physical agency,” said the specialist.
Rafa White Hacker, our director’s name in the digital world, encouraged users to report any type of dubious activity they may see online.
“First thing a person must do is go to the bank itself and file a report. No matter how odd the situation, be it a phone call in which someone claims to represent the bank (which happens often), it is important not to play along with them, as these are also information-collecting techniques,” he explained.
He also invited people to avoid over-sharing on social media, as these are “prime hunting-grounds” for cyber-criminals, who choose and plan how to attack their victims with entire weeks of preparation.
Rafael Nuñez participated as a speaker at the 20th Dominican Republic National Security Congress, in which 130 specialists and technicians in the areas of Physical Safety, Information Safety, Risks, Audit and Internal Control talked about topical subjects regarding Safety and CyberSafety in both the country and the region, presenting a number of recommendations to improve these aspects, in order to face the increasing threats modern life implies.