FBI issues warning about mobile banking apps – WRCBtv.com
During the pandemic, millions of people who have primarily have stayed at home in isolation have been doing their banking using a mobile app for the first time.
CNBC reported earlier this year that banks saw a 200% increase in new mobile banking registrations. In 2019 the FBI reports 75% of Americans had done some form of mobile banking.
That number has surged during the pandemic a whopping 50%. Along with all those bank customers, the FBI says cyber-criminals are using banking apps more as well.
Thursday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's online fraud wing said in a PSA that it expects those "cyber actors to attempt to exploit new mobile banking customers using a variety of techniques. You can read the FBI's public service announcement ?here.
The Bureau advises the public to be cautious when downloading apps onto smartphones and tablets. Bogus apps are being developed by cyber-criminals to look almost identical to banks' official apps. Victims then sign into their bank account and choose a username and password. If the app is bogus, the bad guys will have their bank account number, username and password. It's all they need to access the account.
Gloss