Summer is here and whether you are going to the beach, the lake or the mountains, it is a perfect season for scammers to trick you into their traps. Here are three basic and easy-to-remember tricks you should master.

Keep calm and read twice

Is the email clearly trying to scare you into taking immediate action? Take a deep breath and read it again. You already know (I hope!) that your bank will never ask for your credentials (username, password, Luxtrust code) via an email nor via a link in a email. Emails that appear “out of the blue” with limited information but great urgency should put you in high alert. Read over the email carefully and pay attention to how it is written. Scammers get better everyday at imitating reputable organisations so you will have to look for other tell-tales such as discrepancies between the email address and URL used. Without clicking on the link provided, hover with your mouse over it to see what is hidden behind.

Keep calm and change the channel

If you still have doubts you can contact your bank via a different channel. Do not answer to that email nor use any number it might provide but rather call or email your bank using contact details you have from previous correspondence, written on your payment card or available on your bank’s website (type the URL yourself!). Using the secure messaging system of your mobile banking app is an excellent idea too. If the email was a scam, your bank will confirm everything is OK – and by sharing that email with your bank you will help prevent other victims.

Keep calm and set your alerts

Before leaving on holidays, make sure you have set alerts for your accounts and cards on your mobile banking app. This way you will be informed of what is happening on your accounts and can be at ease even when far away or in a different time zone. The alerts of My ING can be sent as an e-mail and/or as a push notification on your smartphone and you can choose from different types (balance amount, in and outflows…).

Beach, lake or mountain rivers – don’t be a fish this summer!