Overview
- Consumer advocates report a circulating Barclays‑themed phishing email titled “Wichtige Mitteilung: Neues Dokument in Ihrem Online‑Postfach” that urges clicks on a “Dokument anzeigen” button with time pressure.
- Recipients are advised not to reply, to move the message to spam, and to verify any notices only in the official Barclays app or on the real Barclays website.
- Sparkasse cautions that fake profiles on Instagram and Facebook are funneling users into large WhatsApp trader groups that build trust before pushing deposits to sham trading platforms that block withdrawals.
- The bank stresses it does not solicit investments via social media or invite customers to WhatsApp groups and asks users to report suspicious accounts to platforms and Sparkasse.
- A GMX/Web.de survey finds 64% in Germany encountered digital fraud in the past 12 months, with 47% receiving phishing emails, 26% contacted by phone, and 23% targeted by SMS, prompting guidance to use strong passwords, enable two‑factor authentication, and watch for red flags like impersonal greetings, urgency and poor writing.