Missile attacks create new opportunities for scammers — banker warns

Prolonged air raid alerts, overnight missile and drone attacks, and disruptions to electricity and communications may indirectly increase the risk of financial fraud, as people are more likely to make decisions when they are tired, stressed and short of time.

This was reported by Anna Dovhalska, Deputy Chairperson of the Management Board of GLOBUS BANK.

According to her, scammers are increasingly exploiting not technological vulnerabilities in banking systems, but people's psychological state. Their main objective is to create a sense of urgency and make victims act before they have time to verify the information they have received.

Messages received after prolonged air raid alerts, power outages or other stressful events can be particularly dangerous, especially when they contain phrases such as “urgent”, “your account has been blocked”, “immediate verification required” or “you have been granted financial assistance”.

In the banker's view, this is why one of the key rules of financial security should be to take a deliberate pause before making any transaction involving money.

“At a time when society is under immense pressure due to missile and drone terror, people should be as vigilant and cautious as possible. The rules of “self-protection” should apply not only when an air raid alert sounds, but also whenever your own money is at stake,” Anna Dovhalska emphasised.