Security and data protection
Protect your finances against fraudsters and thieves on the internet and beyond.
3 rules for your security
Always check who you’re talking to. A scammer can pretend to be anyone.
Never share your login details, passwords or card numbers.
Be careful what you confirm or pay for – and to whom.
Happening Now
Advertisements promising free ice hockey tickets to Česká spořitelna clients are appearing online and on social media. However, Česká spořitelna is not currently running any such promotion – it is a scam. The aim is not to give you a ticket, but to obtain your online banking login details and steal your money.
What happens after you click on the advert?
- You are taken to a website with details of the promotion, which looks very convincing at first glance. You select a ticket and are then asked to confirm that you are a Česká spořitelna client.
- A page imitating the George login screen appears. If you enter your details there, you are not sending them to the bank, but to fraudsters.
- The fraudsters gain access to your online banking and may try to steal your money. However, they may also misuse the details and information they obtain about you in other ways. For example, they could open an account in your name with another bank and use it for further scams. Alternatively, a fake banker or police officer may call you later. Because they have information about you from George, they will know a great deal about you and appear even more convincing.
How can you protect yourself?
- Verify offers
If you come across an attractive offer for Česká spořitelna clients outside our official website, first check that it is genuine. Visit the official Česká spořitelna website, call us on 277 207 207 or contact your banker directly through George. You can forward a suspicious offer to us at podvody@csas.cz. - Be careful where you enter your details
Before logging in to online banking, always check the website address. It should match the George login address accessed from the official Česká spořitelna website. - Do not approve requests you did not make
Never approve a payment or any other transaction in George unless you initiated it yourself.
If you have already entered your login details on a suspicious website, contact us immediately on 277 207 207.
We are currently registering cases of fraud in which attackers, posing as investment advisors or bank employees, persuade clients to install remote computer access software and typically, under the pretense of attractive investments, induce them to transfer money to fraudulent accounts.
How does this type of scam work?
The attacker, posing for example as an investment advisor or banker, contacts the client with a promise of a profitable investment or under the guise of verifying a suspicious transaction. They then convince the client to install remote access software (such as AnyDesk, TeamViewer, or similar programs) on their home computer. Once the fraudster has remote access to the client’s computer, they install a malicious add-on in the client’s internet browser without the client’s knowledge. This add-on allows the attacker to manipulate what the client sees on their screen.
Why is remote access dangerous?
Thanks to the combination of remote control software and a malicious add-on, attackers are able, for example, to:
- display fake websites in the client’s internet browser or a fake overview of incoming payments in online banking that includes non-existent transactions,
- monitor in real time what the client is doing on their computer and thus obtain, for example, login credentials for online banking.
This is not a flaw in the internet banking. Remote access allows attackers to control the client’s computer and influence the information displayed by the internet browser.
Remote manipulation is among the most high-risk attacks
This type of fraud is extremely dangerous due to its credibility. If a client believes the fraudster, they can be easily persuaded to transfer money to fraudulent “investment” accounts or to withdraw cash and hand it over to intermediaries.
How to protect yourself?
If you have any doubts, for example about incoming payments, compare the information displayed in internet banking with the data in the George mobile app, and in case of any uncertainty, contact the customer helpline.
However, the basic and most effective protection remains:
- verifying the identity of calling bankers in the George mobile app (see here: https://www.csas.cz/cs/kontaktni-cisla-adresy), as well as investment advisors, police officers, and other persons who put pressure on you in connection with your money, accounts, or investments,
- not installing programs or add-ons whose purpose you do not fully understand and which these persons encourage you to install.
Scammers are increasingly sending fake requests via WhatsApp asking people to vote in contests or polls. And what’s worse, the message may not come from a stranger, but from one of your contacts. As soon as you open the link in the message and “verify” yourself according to the instructions, scammers will gain access to your WhatsApp account. They will then lock you out, gain access to your conversations, and use your contacts to try to steal from them.
How the scam works
You’ll receive a message via WhatsApp from a number belonging to someone you know, asking you to vote in a contest or poll and including a link. The message may not contain any errors or typos and may look very credible.
After opening the link, you’ll be asked to verify your identity to vote via WhatsApp using a QR code or verification code, or you may be required to enter additional information. The moment you do this, you’re giving the attacker full access to your WhatsApp account, including your conversations, photos, and contacts. And if they want to, they can take over your account.
The scammers will then send a message from your WhatsApp account to some of your contacts asking to borrow money to trick them out of their funds, and to others a deceptive request to vote with a fake link. This allows them to gain access to more accounts and contacts, which they can exploit in the same way.
How to protect yourself against this scam
- Do not click on links asking you to vote that you receive on WhatsApp. Not even if they are sent from a number belonging to someone you know.
- If you receive a request to send money, always verify the information by phone outside of WhatsApp.
- Enable two-step verification in the app settings.
- Never enter a verification code into WhatsApp or scan a QR code unless you are intentionally linking another device yourself. Never share incoming codes with anyone.
- Do not connect WhatsApp to other unknown devices, and check the app settings to see which devices are currently linked to your account.
On a positive note: if your WhatsApp account has been compromised or you’ve lost access to it, you can recover it by following these steps. We recommend that you then warn all your contacts who may have already received a loan request or poll from your account.
Glossary
Investment Scams Offer
Vishing
CEO Fraud
"Nigerian’ Scams"
Phishing
Ransomware
Fake Merchants
Malicious software (malware)
Fraudulent invoices/change of account number
Phishing and Payment Cards
Holiday scam tactics
Has someone scammed you?
Don’t hesitate – use our first aid support.
Contact your bank immediately – don’t hesitate, call even if you only suspect something.
Change your banking login details in your George
- Change your security settings for Bank ID in George.
- Forward any suspicious emails, SMS messages, chats or call recordings to our dedicated mailbox: podvody@csas.cz.
- Report the fraud to the police – you’ll help protect not only yourself but others too.
- Block your payment card in George.