You have surely received an email, message, or call at some point from someone identifying themselves as your service provider, public administration, or your bank. In many cases, they were not trying to provide you with information, but rather to request it and thereby gain access to your data or to information they were missing.
In most cases, this would be a scam. Let us use common sense to prevent it: why give our data to a third party without first verifying whether they are who they claim to be? The methods employed by criminals in non-face-to-face environments are becoming increasingly widespread and are not even very sophisticated—they use emotional manipulation and almost always create a sense of urgency. That is why we must also be more prudent and cautious. The key is to recognize that it is necessary to strengthen precautionary and security measures on the internet just as we do in our daily lives.
The National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) handled over 100,000 digital scams last year, the vast majority targeting individual citizens. However, digital crime affects us all, with increasing attacks on businesses and public administrations. Although improved coordination between sectors and at the international level continues unabated and protection mechanisms are becoming more sophisticated—at considerable cost—attacks are also becoming bolder and more advanced.
Combating cybercrime has become one of the main priorities for everyone: whether we are individuals or work in companies, institutions, or governments. And we all have a responsibility to prevent and combat it: companies and authorities must invest in protection and strengthen collaboration among all parties involved; individuals must also assume responsibility for protecting our own data and acting with caution. It is important to protect our information not only because of the harm its theft may cause us, but also because it can be used to attack our loved ones.
It is clear that advancing the digital skills of society will allow us to take full advantage of the transformation we are experiencing. Digital innovation has been crucial in improving our daily lives during lockdown and the most challenging periods of the pandemic. Today, a world without the benefits of digital innovation is unimaginable. However, a more responsible use of the internet also involves raising awareness of its risks, which we often overlook but are very real.
We tend to think that cyberattacks are things that happen to others, but today we can all be victims. Faced with an increasingly global and sophisticated threat, awareness is the best shield to protect ourselves. In all cases, beyond their enormous financial consequences, attacks inflict damage on consumer security and confidence. It is important to recognize that we are all potentially threatened, because failing to do so makes it easier for criminals.
Cooperation, and especially public-private collaboration, is key to combating cybercrime in all its forms. With this conviction, the Spanish Banking Association (AEB) signed the general protocol of the Action Plan against Financial Fraud a few months ago to strengthen and improve the prevention and fight against potentially fraudulent product and service offerings, which cause serious harm to investors and the entire regulated financial sector. Sharing information with authorities is key to combating financial fraud at all stages: awareness, prevention, and prosecution of crime.
Cybersecurity is fundamental for banks, which deploy all available means to ensure the security of their customers and address the risks that will surely emerge in the future. The banking sector has proven experience in protecting the personal and financial data of its customers and continuously reviews its capacity for defense, detection, and response to cyberattacks. However, all of this may not be sufficient if individuals do not assume our share of responsibility in fighting this scourge.
There are simple recommendations that we should all follow to protect ourselves against digital criminals.
Banking channels are secure for transactions: official websites, banking applications, official telephone numbers, provided they are accessed directly and not through links received in messages. Therefore, be careful with communications or notifications received through instant messaging channels, social networks, as well as SMS and calls from telephone numbers that, even though they may appear official, are not.
Given the extensive use we make of mobile devices, we must protect them with access codes that should be reviewed periodically, perform updates, and always access official app stores to download applications and, where possible, have antivirus software.
What can be done if you have suffered fraud? It is essential to contact the authorities and file a report as we would in the case of a theft. Also, if there is a financial loss or loss of security credentials, we must contact our bank through a secure channel so that it can take the necessary measures to mitigate the possible consequences as much as possible.
Prudence and common sense are our best allies in fighting cybercriminals, as in many cases they take advantage of our more trusting nature to perpetrate their attacks.
José Luis Martínez Campuzano, spokesperson for the Spanish Banking Association
