What is the “wage theft” scam that can cost you dearly ?

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Cybercriminals are clearly surfing on all the latest trends to deploy their scams on a large scale. While teleworking is a form of organization that has become commonplace, they are now practicing a scam that can allow them to steal your salary. Here's everything you need to know.

How it works?

In concrete terms, the criminal must first usurp the identity of his target. To do this, he will hack their data using traditional means: hacking, phishing, password theft, etc. This is probably the most difficult phase, even if the numerous online data leaks make the task easier.

The scammer will then contact the victim's employer. He will then inform human resources of a change in banking information. This new account is often located abroad, which can arouse suspicion.

Unfortunately, the trap then closes on the employee and the latter will not receive his salary when the time comes. According to the publication of the Gard gendarmerie on Facebook, this scam is on the rise: “With the development of teleworking, the number of victims has increased significantly” , it specifies.

What to do to avoid the worst ?

The military suggests: “To prevent this type of incident, whether you are an employee or an employer, demand that this type of procedure be carried out in person” . A common sense tip that must be remembered.

How it adds Le Parisien, the protection of personal data is also essential. In particular, you must ensure that you never communicate sensitive information or documents online, including your social security number or passwords, or identity documents, pay slips, tax notices to organizations that you have not been able to correctly identify.

We can also advise you to choose sufficiently complex passwords (including lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters). Also, be sure to activate multi-factor authentication when possible. The latter in fact considerably complicates the task of cybercriminals.

What you need to remember:

• The wage theft scam is thriving in France according to the Gard gendarmerie
• The scammers steal your identity and then provide false banking information to your employer
• You must adopt good reflexes online and favor in-person procedures to avoid this scam

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