Here are some tips on how to spot scammers, what you can do to protect your account, and how you can help us fight back against phishing calls and fake profiles.
What is meant by phishing?
Phishing is a fraudulent method in which attackers attempt to steal sensitive information such as passwords or credit card numbers. They pretend to be trustworthy sources, for example an investment advisor or an employee of a crypto company, and send fake emails or messages with links to deceptively real-looking websites. Victims are asked to enter personal data.
One should be cautious of unexpected requests, avoid clicking on links blindly, refrain from sharing sensitive information, and use only trusted websites. You should also be wary of phishing calls, so-called vishing.
How can you generally recognize scammers and protect yourself?
1. Research and verify: Always research the individual you are dealing with. Scammers often lack a legitimate online presence.
2. Check official websites and emails: Scammers may use fake websites or emails that mimic official ones. Look for slight misspellings or differences in domain names (e.g., .de instead of .com).
3. Be cautious with personal information: Avoid sharing sensitive personal information, such as your social security number, bank details, or passwords, unless you are confident about the legitimacy of the request.
4. Unexpected winnings or prizes are suspicious: Be wary of unsolicited messages or emails claiming you’ve won a lottery or prize, especially if you didn’t participate in any raffle.
5. Poor grammar and spelling expose phishing attempts: Scammers may use poorly written messages.
6. Avoid immediate action: Scammers often create a sense of urgency to rush you into making decisions without thinking them through. Be cautious if someone insists on immediate action.
7. Trust your instincts: If something feels off or too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your gut feeling and avoid engaging further with suspicious individuals or offers.
8. Beware of phone scams: Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls claiming to be from official organizations, such as banks or government agencies. Always verify the caller’s identity before sharing any personal information.
9. Be cautious with email attachments and links: Scammers often use email attachments or links to spread malware or phishing attempts. Avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown sources.
10. Report suspicious activity: If you suspect fraud or encounter fraudulent activity, report it to local authorities and relevant consumer protection agencies.
What points should I pay particular attention to in order to protect my BISON account?
With the help of what are known as phishing attacks, criminals try to gain access to your user data and account, and carry out fraudulent transactions via E-Mail, SMS or calling. But there are a few things you can do to protect yourself from password and data theft:
- Do not respond to messages from unknown sources. Ignore requests to enter or share your information. Furthermore, please never share your password with third parties. Rest assured, we at BISON will never ask you for your password.
- Never allow third parties to access your account. We will never ask you to send your cryptocurrencies to third parties, e.g. to participate in a contest or something similar.
- We do not employ any staff to make investment decisions for you, and we will not call or contact you in any other way about such matters. If you are approached by an alleged employee, please contact our Customer Support immediately (by email via [email protected]) to prevent a potential fraud attempt.
Our SMS-based two-factor authentication protects you from unwanted access to your BISON account. You will be asked to verify your identity using the SMS code sent to you every time you log in from an unknown (new) device, change your password (if you click “Forgot password?” on the login screen), and withdraw cryptocurrencies.
You don’t need to enable two-factor authentication yourself, it has already been enabled by us for the use cases described. For more information, see our FAQs.
Do not use the same password for several websites or different services. Tips for choosing a reliable password are provided, for example, by the German Federal Office for Information Security.
If you notice any unusual behavior in connection with your BISON account or have any further questions about this topic, feel free to contact us at [email protected].
What types of fraud are currently circulating?
Third parties pretend to be employees of BISON or the Boerse Stuttgart Group on networks such as LinkedIn or Xing:
- An alleged financial analyst contacts you via a network
- You are offered a “lucrative investment” or verification is to be carried out, for example to protect your account or approve a transaction.
Telephone contact by alleged employees of BISON or the Boerse Stuttgart Group:
- You receive a call from an alleged employee of BISON or the Boerse Stuttgart Group.
- The caller asks a lot of open questions and tries to get as much information as possible from you during the conversation.
- You are then offered the opportunity to get in touch via a messenger app.
Contact by email from alleged employees of BISON or the Boerse Stuttgart Group:
- You receive an email from an alleged financial advisor or employee of BISON or the Boerse Stuttgart Group.
- You are asked to click on a link or send a reply to a specific e-mail address.
ATTENTION: Through so-called spoofing (methods to conceal identity), e-mails or calls may appear to come from an official e-mail address of BISON or the Boerse Stuttgart Group, although they were sent by third parties. If you have any concerns, please contact our support team at [email protected].
- You meet someone online or through social networks.
- At first, the connection seems exceptionally warm and friendly.
- After some time, the person claims they or someone close to them is in financial trouble and urgently needs your support.
- They repeatedly ask for help and use emotional pressure to prompt you into making transactions, despite never having met them in person.
- You are presented with what appears to be a unique opportunity to get closer to an extraordinary person, and you don’t want to miss it.
- You are “advised” by someone you don’t know personally.
- They claim you are entitled to large sums of money or winnings.
- You are asked to make an advance payment, pay taxes, provide a security deposit, or similar as proof of identity, verification, or to unlock the funds supposedly owed to you.
- You are repeatedly contacted and urged to make investments and transactions.
- Fake registration documents, certificates, or guarantees are presented as proof of your entitlement. Trusted, established companies, authorities, or official institutions may also be falsely cited as involved, though you have had no direct contact with them regarding this matter.
- Registration with the third-party provider requires minimal information, and no verification process compliant with banking and financial service regulations is conducted.
- The third-party provider claims to have been “successfully” established in the market for years or to be cooperating with BISON, but this cannot be independently verified.
- You encounter a third-party provider promising unusually high returns.
- The provider offers you various “investment plans,” requiring only a minimum deposit, and “guarantees” specific profits for each plan.
- They advertise “professional trading,” “arbitrage trading,” “AI trading,” “Forex trading,” or “cloud mining” without highlighting any risks.
- You are presented with a seemingly unique opportunity and feel compelled not to miss out, despite the lack of independent or credible information about the third-party provider’s product.
This scam involves fake job offers designed to extract money, commit identity theft, or use victims to transfer funds from third parties.
- You come across a lucrative job offer online or hear about it through acquaintances, promising great earnings.
- The role advertised may be for a “bookkeeper” or “finance manager” with high pay for minimal effort.
- The job posting initially seems legitimate, and you even participate in an online interview.
- You are asked to provide your ID details via email for the hiring process.
- To obtain your work equipment, you’re required to pay approximately €250 to the alleged employer.
- Payments start arriving in your account, which you are instructed to forward to other accounts.
- You are asked to open accounts at banks or financial service providers under your name but to grant access to the supposed employer.
In reality, this is a job scam where victims are deceived into believing they are being offered a legitimate position.
- Fraudsters attempt to access your device using remote desktop software such as AnyDesk or TeamViewer under the guise of financial services.
- They promote cryptocurrency transfers through sponsored articles and advertisements about the alleged pre-sale of a “revolutionary” coin.
- The provider is not (strictly) regulated. Offering financial services in Germany or the EU requires authorization for good reason: to protect customers.
- Fraudsters create elaborate fake websites with seemingly diverse and fabricated trading opportunities.
- How to Recognize Untrustworthy Providers
- Consumer Guidance on Social Media Risks
- Fraud Committed Using BaFin’s Name
- You have come across a website via a search engine that looks very similar to the BISON website or is described there as being operated by BISON or a group company of the Boerse Stuttgart Group.
- The website entry in the search results is often marked as paid advertising (e.g. Google Ads)
- You will be asked to log in with your BISON access data.
- For “new registrations”, different account types are offered, which are supposed to offer different advantages. The basic version is often offered for 250 EUR.
How can I make sure that I'm really communicating with BISON?
At BISON, we only communicate via our official websites, e-mail and social media channels. Please note the following official domains, addresses and profiles:
Website:
E-Mail:
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
Social Media:
BISON will never contact you through any other channel. Please do not share any sensitive data (personal information, log-in, or wallet addresses) with anyone who contacts you from a non-standard channel.
CAUTION! If you are contacted from a non-standard email address, we advise you not to reply and to report it immediately to your email service provider as spam. If you encounter anything suspicious, feel free to contact our support team at [email protected].
If you have any other questions, we’re happy to help. We’ve had several users actively support us in the fight against these scammers. We are proud of how the BISON community has united and thank you for all your support!
