Energy company EnergyVision warns against giving up: what exactly is this?

Energy company EnergyVision warns of crackdown. What is it exactly? How can you avoid falling victim to such malpractices?

In the news: during message On social media platform LinkedIn, EnergyVision shows how criminals are trying to steal your personal data via a QR code. This specifically concerns the QR stickers on charging stations in Brussels.

• You can pay fees in different ways. One such method is personalized payment by scanning the QR code on the charging station.
• Scammers paste a sticker on some poles bearing their fake QR code along with the EnergyVision code. Once this code is scanned to pay, the money is transferred to the scammer’s account.
• So this is a form of phishing.

details: EnergyVision has 2,000 charging stations in Brussels.

• “We found fraudulent stickers on 20 poles,” CEO Martin Michelsens said. VRT NWS. “These stickers have now been removed and the scammer’s website has been removed from the internet. Therefore, our customers can once again have their vehicle shipped on an ad hoc basis.
• Michielssens questions the European commitment to offering cardless payments. This increases accessibility, but also makes customers of companies like EnergyVision more vulnerable to fraud.

Quishing is on the rise

Zoom in: Cyber ​​expert Eddie Willems (GDATA) in conversation with Radio 1 I know this scam technique has been around for a while. “It is an old principle that is now being repeated again,” he said.

• The Center for Cybersecurity (CCB) warned at the beginning of this year that crackdowns were on the rise. “This is especially dangerous for unwary users. After all, when you scan a QR code, you don’t immediately see the website it will lead to.” The CCB warned at the time that verifying a URL is difficult.

How can you avoid becoming a victim of fraud?

advice: EnergyVision on LinkedIn recommends only using your debit card when charging your electric car. It’s like, “This is 100 percent safe.”

• If you fall prey to a scammer, it is best to contact the charging station operator, your bank and the police as soon as possible.
• Willems adds that you can notice very quickly if you are a victim of oppression. “You can check if the website you are accessing is also the operator’s website. In addition, the payment method is interesting: have you used it in the past? Or is it another? That can also be a sign, just like error messages and redirects.”

Not only at charging stations

attention: Stopping doesn’t just happen at charging stations. QR codes can also be sent via emails, text messages or WhatsApp messages, among others.

• Scammers often look for a link to current events to attract attention. For example, when disaster strikes, it is only a matter of time before the first phishing messages related to donations appear. During sales periods, false deals are mainly traded and at the beginning of the year it is again a matter of renewing subscriptions.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) also makes it more difficult to identify these fraud techniques. Scammers often combine this technology with so-called “social engineering” methods.
  • Social engineering is a technique through which personal data is first collected, often through phishing but also through hacking. Scammers then use that information to address you more effectively and personally to scam you. For example, we are presented with fake invoices, late payments or assessment notices that look very realistic but are not.
• So always be careful when you receive messages from someone you don’t know. Therefore, always try to find out the identity of the sender first. Your bank or other organization will never ask you to update or share your personal information via email, text, or phone. And of course, never click on links or QR codes that you don’t trust.

Do you want to stay up to date with everything happening in the financial world? Niels Silence, a journalist with a passion for finance, follows everything closely. during this link You can subscribe to his daily newsletter.