Recently, we have again observed an increased incidence of scam attempts, phishing calls, and fake social media profiles.
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 support@bisonapp.com) 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 support@bisonapp.com.
How can I make sure that I'm really communicating with BISON?
Please note the following information in this context:
- At BISON, we only communicate through our official email channels and social media channels
support@bisonapp.com
hallo.updates@bisonapp.com
support@service.bisonapp.com
@bisonapp (Instagram)
BISON App (Linkedin)
@bisonapp (Twitter) - 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 support@bisonapp.com.
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!