Phishing website trap: Teacher defrauded out of $100,000

Teacher Aoki is a Japanese university teacher. One day, Teacher Aoki received an email from a bank. The content of the email stated that his account may be at risk and urgent identity verification is required.

Teacher Aoki clicked on the link provided in the email and entered an official-looking website. The website asked him to provide personal identification information for verification and to link his bank account.

。A few days later, Teacher Aoki discovered that there had been multiple large withdrawals from his bank account, totaling 100,000 US dollars. He realized he had been cheated, but it was too late.

Scam analysis:

Pretending to be official: Fraudsters pretend to be the customer service department of a bank to trick victims into providing personal information.

Fake verification: By sending a fake verification link, the scammer obtains the victim’s sensitive information.

Unconfirmed transactions: The scammer uses the victim’s linked bank account to make multiple unconfirmed withdrawals.

How to prevent:

Be wary of emails: Be extra vigilant about unverified emails, especially those involving personal information. Don't click on random links in emails.

Confirmation through official channels: If you receive an email involving personal information, you should contact the relevant agency through official channels to confirm the authenticity of the email.

Don’t provide random information: Don’t provide sensitive personal information on untrusted websites or links.

Bank notification: Regularly check the transaction records of the bank account. If any abnormality is found, the bank should be notified immediately and the police should be called.

This case highlights the need to be extra careful when dealing with emails and websites to prevent falling victim to scams. Stay tuned to our anti-fraud awareness series for more information on different types of scams and tips on how to prevent them.