Phishing attacks are often a gateway for criminal activity. They are increasing in form and variety and represent a great danger to the population as well as a challenge for the law enforcement authorities and the institutions concerned. In order to take targeted action against this area of crime, there has been close cooperation between the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Watchlist Internet, and Payment Services Austria (PSA) and the Austrian banks launched the idea of a joint campaign. Numerous other partners joined in to form a broad front against phishing.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, the PSA specialists and Paul Marouschek, deputy director of the Federal Criminal Police Office, exchanged ideas with the representatives of the banks and other organizations present at the opening event on September 2, 2024. The focus of the exchange was on current phishing trends, challenges and solutions, as well as the common approach in the fight against the cybercriminals behind this phenomenon.
“It can affect anyone and everyone. The most important thing is to go to the police and exercise caution. “In this way, everyone can make an important contribution to combating cyber crime,” emphasized Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.
What is Phishing? From A like subscription trap to Z like payment requests
Phishing is a modus operandi in which criminals use fraud or deception to try to obtain victims’ personal data, such as account details or account access data, via the Internet or via SMS. Requests from banks to update online banking data within 24 hours, investment opportunities advertised by public figures on the Internet, or messages from the tax office about refunds: these and many other forms have been developed by criminals in recent years, improved, tailored to the respective victim groups and in some cases perfected. Fake homepages cannot be distinguished from the real ones at first glance, and artificial intelligence eliminates errors that until recently were clear indications that there was an attempt at fraud.
“Due to the large number of forms of fraud, it is essential that we attach great importance to prevention and, together with our partners, inform about these dangers and thus reach a broad audience. Knowledge protects, offers security of action and can nip phishing attacks in the bud,” emphasized the deputy director of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Paul Marouschek.
“Effective measures against cybercrime require intensive industry-internal and cross-industry collaboration in an increasingly digitalized economy. The aim is to always be one step ahead of cyber threats and thus live up to the trust of our customers. We support this campaign because broad information about current fraud patterns by cybercriminals is essential,” emphasized Robert Zadrazil, Country Manager Austria UniCredit, President of the Austrian Banking Association and Deputy Chairman of the Federal Banking and Insurance Division of the Austrian Economic Chamber.
“The ongoing development of security systems and close cooperation with the authorities are essential in the fight against cybercrime. In addition, information and communication with customers are also very important. “That’s why initiatives like ‘10DaysAgainstPhishing’ are particularly important,” said Stefan Sandberger, Board Director and COO of Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich.
“Cybercrime, such as the well-known ‘phishing’, is constantly evolving. Criminals around the world are working intensively together, using the latest technologies and using increasingly perfidious deceptive tactics to achieve their fraudulent goals. Legislators, police, banks and bank customers must therefore work together even more closely and effectively in order to effectively combat current and future attempts at fraud on the Internet. As the BAWAG Group, we are making our contribution to this,” commented Guido Jestädt from BAWAG.
“Security is our top priority at card complete. In order to effectively counteract and counteract the increasingly complex and professional phishing traps, comprehensive cooperation and collaboration across functional, organizational and industry boundaries are essential. It is crucial to understand ourselves as a payments ecosystem, to value the diversity of perspectives and experiences and to use these effectively in the joint fight against fraud. The awareness-raising campaign ’10DaysAgainstPhishing’ is an excellent example of a concrete measure from this cooperation,” said Robert Fritz from card complete.
“Unfortunately, the risk of becoming a victim of phishing remains high. The methods used by fraudsters to gain access to passwords and personal data are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are often very difficult for customers to recognize. That’s why we see a huge need for awareness campaigns to protect people from these criminals. There cannot be enough measures on this topic to achieve the highest possible level of protection for our customers,” emphasized Maximilian Clary and Altreib from Erste Bank Austria.
“We are all challenged. Only together can we combat cybercrime. Through active communication and customer relationships based on trust, Austria’s banks make an important contribution to combating fraud. ’10DaysAgainstPhishing’ is a great opportunity to achieve a high level of awareness among the population,” said Martin Gölles from the Hypoverband.
“It is a major concern for Oberbank to raise awareness among the population regarding current fraud patterns and thereby minimize the risk of phishing attacks. The #10DaysagainstPhishing campaign is an excellent platform where we banks, together with security authorities, educate the population and show them how to protect themselves against phishing,” emphasized Isabella Lehner from Oberbank.
“’My ELBA’, Raiffeisen’s online banking, is the most used banking app in Austria with 580 million hits. That’s why measures like the anti-phishing platform are extremely important to us. Our goal is to always be one step ahead of phishing and other cyber threats in order to protect our customers from these dangers as much as possible,” explained Roland Mechtler, Board Director Efficiency, Technology and Treasury at Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien.
“For the Wüstenrot Group, the security of customers when making cashless payments has top priority. The #10DaysagainstPhishing campaign is an effective measure and supports the cross-bank goal of curbing data phishing through education and knowledge transfer,” emphasized Gregor Hofstetter-Pobst from Wüstenrot.
“A lot has happened since the platform against phishing was launched last year. We really appreciate that we are communicating very closely with the security authorities on the one hand and the banks and partners on the other, and that together we are creating an important basis for a secure, digitally successful Austria. The joint campaign #10DaysAgainstPhishing makes a valuable contribution to highlighting fraud methods, raising awareness among the population and highlighting preventative measures. One clarification is essential: Anyone can be affected by a phishing attack. This makes educational information and prevention all the more important,” said David Ostah from PSA.
“Phishing has been one of the biggest prevention topics on the Internet Watchlist for more than ten years. We are pleased that so many partners are now pulling together with us to warn against phishing,” explained Thorsten Behrens from Watchlist Internet.
“Scammers are increasingly sending fake messages in the name of Austrian Post. We advise you to be particularly careful when asking for personal data and recommend that you only use the online services and receiving options via your personal PostAccount. If you are unsure, it is also worth checking the tracking number in the official postal tracking system – in the postal app or on the postal website. It is important to us to educate our customers as best as possible and protect them from risks, which is why we support the #10dayscounterphishing initiative,” emphasized Peter Umundum, Board Director for Parcel & Logistics at Austrian Post AG.
Ten days – ten cases – one goal
During the #10DaysAgainstPhishing campaign, which starts on September 9, 2024, cases will be presented by the participating organizations every day. This happens via both traditional media and new media and social networks. The common goal is to provide an overview of the current forms of phishing and the ways to recognize them and protect yourself accordingly.