"Install this app, we’ll help you" and what to do if you’ve already been caught

Cartoon

This time it’s Max who gets caught. He is 16, and a game promised him a gift.

Max: Allow… Well, it’s the game’s support team.

The app gave a stranger full access to the phone. He sees everything on the screen, reads the texts with codes and opens the bank app Mom set up on Max’s phone for his pocket money.

Kate: Max, what is this transfer?! Okay, no panic. We follow the plan.

Kate: First, I call the bank right away at the number on the card: lock the card and dispute the transfer. The faster I call, the better the chance of getting the money back.

Max: Second, we kick the stranger out of the phone and change the passwords. Let’s start with email.

Third, a report to the police, with the evidence saved. And last: don’t be ashamed. People of every age get caught, and telling others means warning them.

The crook: Hello, we can help you get your $400 back. You just need to pay for the lawyer’s services first.

Kate: No way. The bank and the police help you get money back, for free. And "helpers who charge a fee" are the second wave of the same scam.

Never install apps because someone who called or wrote to you first asked you to. Real support never needs access to your screen.

Exercise: let them in or not?

Six requests and situations. For each one, decide: is it dangerous or not?

• Call: "the bank": «To protect your account, install the Harvest Shield app from the link in our text and allow it to control your phone.» (harvest-shield.top/app) — Dangerous. A bank never asks you to install apps from a link or to give it control of your phone.
• Call: "your internet company": «There’s an error on your computer, and we’ll fix it from here. Download this program and read me the connection number.» — Dangerous. A call offering to "fix" something is bait. Hang up.
• App store: «An update is available for the Harvest Bank app.» — Safe. An update in the official app store that you opened yourself is perfectly normal.
• Call: "money recovery lawyer": «We guarantee to get your money back. Just $75 upfront.» — Dangerous. This is the second wave of the scam. The bank and the police help for free.
• Kate makes the call herself: «Please lock my card and open a dispute for this transfer.» — Safe. Exactly right. The sooner you call the bank, the better your chances.
• Game support: «To get your prize, give our specialist access to your screen. It only takes 2 minutes.» — Dangerous. Prizes never need access to your screen. With it, a stranger sees your codes and your bank.

What to remember

• Don’t install apps or allow "screen control" because someone who called or wrote to you first asked you to.
• If you’ve been caught: call your bank right away at the number on your card and lock the card.
• Then delete strangers’ apps, change your passwords, sign out of devices that aren’t yours and turn on the second lock.
• Save the evidence, file a police report, and never pay "helpers" to get your money back.

Questions

"Support" asks you to install an app and allow screen control. What do you do?

• Install it, it’s support
• Say no: with that access they see everything, including your codes and your bank
• Install it, then delete it later

Real support never needs access to your screen.

Money left your card without your permission. What do you do first?

• Wait until morning
• Post about it on social media
• Call your bank right away at the number on your card and lock it

Every minute counts: the bank may be able to stop the transfer.

After a scam, "lawyers" call and promise to get your money back for an upfront fee. This is…

• Good luck, say yes
• The second wave of the scam
• An ordinary service

Crooks know who has already been fooled, and they come back for more.

Should you tell your family that you were scammed?

• Yes: that makes it easier to fix things and warn others
• No, it’s embarrassing
• Only if the money doesn’t come back

People of every age get caught. Telling others is brave and useful.