Knowing how the most frequent types of fraud work, such as computer viruses, phishing, etc., will allow you to surf the internet more safely. We offer some tips and precautions to avoid being a victim of such attacks.

1. Phising

Never respond to any email from Ruralvía requesting your password.

Attempts to defraud customers of various financial institutions through email have proliferated recently. Phishing is one of the most widely used methods.

• This fraud technique involves the use of different methods to supplant an identity (such as that of a financial institution) by inviting recipients to enter their secret passwords, personal data, and financial product information on fake forms for the purpose of storing them and using them later.

• This impersonation can be done by SMS, phone call, email and website, or pop-up windows. This is most commonly done through e-mail, by which customers are invited to click on a link that will take them to a fake website simulating the original bank website. When you connect to the fraudulent website you will be asked for your financial or personal details. For this reason, you should NOT respond to any email requesting your Ruralvía password, your financial card details, etc.

• These fraudulent activities are reported to the Civil Guard or the National Police as soon as there is knowledge of them for further investigation.

• In this sense, our clients should know that our Entity will NEVER request secret passwords or product data, such as card numbers, whether by email, in person or phone. Operational authorization codes should only be used within the Ruralvía secure environment.

Here is a summary of the questions we must ask ourselves in order to detect an e-mail attempting to scam us:

• Is the content suspicious? Be wary of emails that say they come from banks with dubious messages, such as that your account has been blocked or cancelled due to technical problems, to cancel a transfer you have not made, return a credit that does not match, etc.

• Is the writing correct? If there are errors in the text, such as semantic errors, words with strange symbols, poorly worded sentences, etc., be wary about the email’s credibility.

• Has the email been personalised? Your Entity knows your name. If you receive anonymous communications addressed to “Notification to User” or “Dear Friend”, it is an indication that you should be wary.

• Do you need to do something urgent? If it forces us to make a decision quickly, it is not a good sign. Verify with your Entity if it is truly urgent.

• Is the link real? Notice if the link text matches the address it points to.

If you are not sure, and without providing any financial information, you should immediately contact our client service hotline at +91 334 67 80 or 900 822 670.

For more information, you can visit http://www.osi.es and http://www.incibe.es which are endorsed by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, and provide free recommendations, guides and tools for safer browsing.

2. Smishing

Do not provide bank details via SMS.

SMiShing is a variant of traditional phishing, which instead of sending emails works through SMS messages.

By sending SMS messages to a mobile phone, an attempt is made to try to convince a user to visit a fraudulent page or call a phone number in order to obtain their electronic banking password or financial data, such as your card’s number and PIN or personal information. There may also be other purposes: such as selling fake products or services, infecting mobile devices with a virus, etc.

Some examples of SMiShing could be:

• Immediately call 9X XXX XXX regarding a recent restriction on your account. Thank you.

• Send us the following documentation: copy of your signature code and your bank card and also note the pin to the email address XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.

• Dear Customer, your VISA card has been blocked for your safety. To unlock it, visit the website XXXXXXXXXXXX as soon as possible and complete the steps. It is available 24 hours per day.

Here are some basic tips to avoid being a SMishing victim:

• Do not access any links that arrive via SMS, especially if you do not know the sender’s phone number.

• Do not provide usernames, passwords, bank or personal data via SMS. If you receive a message requesting this information, be suspicious and contact your Entity.

• Stay informed about the techniques and modalities of scams that are used to deceive users.

• Do not store personal or bank information on your mobile phone, such as login passwords to your multichannel banking, signature password, card PIN, etc. Viruses can transmit this sensitive data to scammers.

If you are not sure, and without providing any financial information, you should immediately contact our client service hotline at +91 334 67 80 or 900 822 670.

For more information, you can visit http://www.osi.es and http://www.incibe.es which are endorsed by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, and provide free recommendations, guides and tools for safer browsing.

3. Computer viruses

Do not open files sent by unknown senders.

Computer Virus Attacks

• Computer viruses are programs that are installed on a user’s PC, tablet or smartphone without the owner’s permission or knowledge for malicious purposes, such as stealing or destroying information.

Consequences of viruses:

• Deletion of information
• Information theft
• Identity spoofing
• Financial losses

Symptoms of infected devices:

• Slower execution of operations
• Increase in execution time and loading of programs
• One-off and/or permanent unusual reduction of free hard disk space and available RAM.
• Unknown programs appear in the memory

Input Channels:

• Email
• SMS
• External storage devices (USB flash drives, hard drives, memory cards, etc.)
• File downloads
• “Malicious” websites
• Social Networks

Protective Measures:

A number of precautions should be taken to avoid potential virus infections:

• Be cautious when visiting unknown websites and be wary of downloading files or programs.
• Do not store or run programs on your device that you do not know about.
• Keep your operating system updated.
• Always look for the https:// prefix in the website address.
• Use an anti-virus system incorporating a “firewall” and an “anti-spyware” system (Spyware) and keep them updated continuously.
• Verify the documents you may have received from outside (via email, floppy disk, download, etc.) with the antivirus program.
• Never run a program or follow a link that reaches you via email or SMS and looks strange or participate in chain messages.
• Information is key to identifying risks and being able to combat them. Keep an eye on threats that are circulating.
• Periodically visit manufacturer security pages for programs you use.
• Back up frequently to prevent loss of important data.
• Use security tools (measures to eliminate known threats and/or occurrences)
  • Browser security plugins
  • Pop-up window blocking programs.
  • Banner blocking programs
  • Anti-spam programs
  • Anti-fraud programs
• Use common sense. Be wary of anything that seems suspicious.

If you are not sure, and without providing any financial information, you should immediately contact our client service hotline at +91 334 67 80 or 900 822 670.

For more information, you can visit http://www.osi.es and http://www.incibe.es which are endorsed by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, and provide free recommendations, guides and tools for safer browsing.