Reminder to our customers: please, be careful when conducting payments to avoid fraud

According to the State Police Office, activation of another online fraud has been observed recently: perpetrators e-mail fraudulent messages to companies and as a result elicit considerable amounts transferred by the companies to the criminals’ account instead of that of their business partners.

The State Police has received three applications from companies operating in Latvia reporting e-mail interception and money swindling occurrences. Victims, without double-checking the authenticity of the sent banking details transfer the money to impostors, thus inflicting the loss on the company.
 
To avoid similar risks and notional loss, you are kindly asked to do the following:

• After receipt of any suspicious e-mails with appendices (in particular, yet not necessarily from an unknown sender), please, do not rush with opening of attachments or links referred thereto. If required, please, contact the sender to ascertain that the message is reliable.
• Use multilevel means of communication with your business partners: telephone, fax or encrypted correspondence, without relying on e-mail communication only.
• Prior to any payment, please, check the banking details specified by the counterpart. In case of any doubt, please contact the counterpart otherwise (e.g. over telephone, yet definitely not by the e-mail) to ascertain that the banking details specified in the invoice are correct.
• Take care of the data security: use anti-virus programs and updated software versions.

 
Further information about distribution and elimination of malware on mobile devices and computers.
More information about online fraud and means of protection.
 
Source: the State Police