In recent years, the phenomenon of electronic fraud has reached a large scale, as a result of which numerous citizens become victims of tricks and empty their bank accounts.

One of the scammers that has been gaining momentum lately concerns fraudulent SMS messages allegedly originating from ELTA and concerning the receipt of pending parcels.

This is essentially an “e-fishing” scam whereby scammers, using an ELTA vehicle, attempt – and in many cases successfully – get access to the data of credit and debit cards of citizens and draw a conclusion.

Yesterday Monday (May 22), a 48-year-old man from Lamia filed a lawsuit against unknown persons because, by sending a fraudulent text message to his mobile phone under the pretense of receiving an order from ELTA, the attackers convinced him to confirm his bank card details and passwords, as a result, four transactions were made in online stores for a total of 2,358 euros.

How scammers work

Sources of accusations of cybercrime, referring to cathimerini.grnoted that the relevant complaints were indeed received by the service and the investigation to identify those involved was ongoing.

As explained by the same sources, these are most likely scammers. use bots to send bulk phishing messages citizens. The messages contain a hyperlink pointing to a page that looks like ELTA, but done in a smart way.

“Attackers have created a mirror page of ELTA and ask users to confirm their data in order to allegedly process Order. When a user enters their details on the page, the scammers gain access to them and start emptying their accounts. Everyone needs to pay special attention not to click on links in suspicious messages, ”they noted.

Regarding the profile of the perpetrators, the leaders of EL.AS. they said that as a result of the investigation, it has not yet been clarified whether these people are abroad or inside the country.

ELTA Warning

The Hellenic Post Group also warns against this scam.

As specifically stated in his statement:

“The Greek Post Office will not, under any circumstances, ask you for your bank account or credit card details! Any message of such content (for example, about the payment for the delivery of a parcel, by e-mail or SMS) does not come from ELTA, but from intruders who are trying to deceive you and steal your data.

The Postal Customs Administration (GETA) will not, under any circumstances, ask you for any amount of money by depositing to a bank or using a credit card to receive a parcel, duties or customs clearance fees. Duties and fees are paid strictly and only in ELTA stores upon receipt of the parcel, with the physical presence of the buyer.

ELTA employees never contact consumers directly and do not ask for money or personal data.

ELTA is aware of cases of malicious communications (e-mail, SMS) with the public that illegally use the ELTA logo and, according to alleged cases of parcel delivery, tracking of shipments, unpaid invoices, etc., try to extort money and / or your personal data. The scam works like this:

You are receiving fake “Delivery Failed Notification” emails that pretend to be from ELTA and contain information about an unsuccessful attempt to deliver the package. The email will ask you to verify your personal delivery information by clicking a button or by uploading an attached file; actions that will lead to the activation of a virus or the interception of your data.

Always remember

Do not use your passwords and personal data (including card numbers, account numbers, etc.) if you are not sure about the authenticity of the website you are visiting.
Do not open attachments or links (links) in emails, SMS, social networks, unless you are absolutely sure of the authenticity of the message (even if you know the sender).

Act calmly in cases of messages (or messages even over the phone) where the sender is trying to create a state of extreme pressure on you to induce you to take hasty action in order to extort information or money from you (for example, email / SMS that are marked as urgent for immediate sending of money, payment of bills, etc., telephone communication for accidents of loved ones).

ELTA will never ask you to enter or share passwords or your personal details (including card numbers, account numbers, etc.), nor will it ask you for personal information via email/SMS/social media.

Check the messages you receive for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, as they are a common sign of malicious messages.

ELTA never calls consumers from numbers outside of Greece and never asks for personal details or money to solve problems.

Never give out personal information during a phone call that you didn’t initiate, and never give money to someone you don’t know.

Research various sources carefully before embarking on any investment or purchase (e.g. forex, cryptocurrencies, gold, oil, etc.) and do not participate in potentially unreliable contests/lotteries, etc.

The use of the ELTA trademark and logos by the participants in this scam is illegal. ELTA has filed a lawsuit against all those responsible and is constantly cooperating with the E-Crime Prosecutor’s Office to address such incidents.”