Crime on the internet

According to a cybersecurity company, more than 350,000 would have fallen into the virtual trap. It is always necessary to check the veracity of the information

Following the discovery of a scam hit by Whatsapp, Caixa reinforced on Monday (9) that it does not distribute information through the messaging application. According to the  institution,  security guidelines are posted on its  Internet portal  and its agencies with the aim of alerting customers to scams, whether by spam e-mail, fake websites or by telephone.

If you receive messages suggesting premium or payments, check before clicking on the link, it could be a fraud attempt. The institution also explains that in cases of doubt, customers have at their disposal Caixa's customer service channels, such as SAC / Ombudsman, 0800 or any of its branches.

False payment of 14th Salary

More than 350 thousand Brazilians would have fallen in a coup by WhatsApp announcing the release of a 14th salary to be paid by the Federal Savings Bank. This payment does not exist. The aim of criminals is to infect phones so that they can later apply financial scams.

Fraud occurs when a person receives a link to WhatsApp that says that to get a supposed 14th salary, they must share the link with ten friends or ten talk groups via WhatsApp. In the middle of this coup, the user authorizes sending notifications to the cell phone.

It works like this: the coup says that those who have worked with a formal contract can check if they have the right to receive, through the Caixa Econômica Federal, the equivalent of a minimum wage. To make the query, the victim needs to access a link and answer some questions. By clicking on the link, the phone is automatically infected.

Beware of traps

According to security company PSafe, in tests carried out with infected phones, a few hours after the start of the coup, the criminal sends another trap, via direct notification to the cell phone of the victims.

"Not to fall into internet traps, as in WhatsApp, it's important that you be wary of any kind of overzealous promise that comes through messages, always checking to see if it's real," PSAfe said.

Source: Government of Brazil, with information from Caixa Econômica Federal and PSafe