With your personal information, scammers can: access and drain your bank account. open new bank accounts in your name and take out loans or lines of credit. take out phone plans and other contracts.
It's also possible hackers could use your email account to gain access to your bank account or credit card information, draining funds from an account, or racking up charges. They might even use your email and password to sign up for online sites and services, sticking you with monthly fees in the process.
Fraudsters can use all kinds of methods to find your personal or banking details. If they get hold of them, they can try to use your bank account to steal your money. Or they could try to scam you at a later date.
Scammers Can Impersonate You
After hacking your email accounts, they can use the account to impersonate you and contact your family members or friends. They can trick them into believing you're in big trouble and need financial aid. Others can send your contacts malicious links.
Steal your identity
Your email could contain materials like bank documents or employment records, which contain several pieces of information—like your social security number and credit card number—needed to commit identity theft.
What can a scammer do with your email? Stolen credentials allow a scammer to send malicious messages or malware links to your contacts, extract personal or financial information from your saved messages, or get your friends and family to send money to them under false pretenses.
First let's clear up one myth - giving out your bank account number and BSB is fine. "There is no issue in giving out your BSB/account details as it's only possible to deposit funds rather than withdraw funds," an ING spokesperson told Money. "If an unauthorised debit occurs then the debiting institution is liable."
Contact your bank immediately so they can protect your account. After you've told your bank about the scam, keep an eye on your bank statements and look out for any unusual transactions. Also check your credit score to see if there are applications for credit you don't recognise.
To keep your information safe, we suggest only providing your BSB and account number to people you know and trust (such as family, friends or your employer etc.)
The easiest way to become a victim of a bank scam is to share your banking info — e.g., account numbers, PIN codes, social security number — with someone you don't know well and trust. If someone asks for sensitive banking details, proceed with caution.
Once hackers have your number, they can use it to gain access to your most sensitive and valuable data, such as your: Email accounts and contact lists. Financial assets and bank accounts. Current and previous home addresses.
If scammers have access to your phone number, they could potentially use it to hack into your online accounts — including your email, social media, and even your bank account.
Contact your bank or card provider to alert them. Reporting is an important first step to getting your money back, and you could be liable for all money lost before you report it. If you've been targeted, even if you don't fall victim, you can report it to Action Fraud.
It's not the same as a scammer obtaining your credit card digits. No one will be able to withdraw money from your personal bank account if all they have is your account number.
It's generally considered safe to give out your account number and sort code, but you should always use common sense and avoid sharing your bank details with people you don't know or expect payments from.
Personal and company email addresses can provide cybercriminals with a wealth of new opportunities to execute their schemes and scams. Infiltrated email addresses can supply a mine of useful information for hackers to exploit by providing a portal into our personal and working lives.
What they want are account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers, and other confidential information that they can use to loot your checking account or run up bills on your credit cards. Identity thieves can take out loans or obtain credit cards and even driver's licenses in your name.
PhishLabs warns that replying to a phishing email, even if you know it's a scam, can lead to further attacks. Most phishing campaigns are automated and replying to them puts you on a scammer's radar. PhishLabs stresses that these people are criminals, and that they can be vindictive or even dangerous.
And while that's not quite as bad as losing your social security number to a hacker, it could be the key to open the portal to identity theft. “If a cybercriminal were to gain access to your email address without also getting a hold of your email account password, it's unlikely they could do much damage.
With your personal information, scammers can: access and drain your bank account. open new bank accounts in your name and take out loans or lines of credit. take out phone plans and other contracts.
Email is the primary tool for communication on the internet. People tend to be less protective of their email addresses, as opposed to their phone number or physical address. That makes email one of the most common targets for hackers and scammers. These are the most common risks of giving out your email address.