With the arrival of the Christmas season, the activity of online fraudsters is increasing. The largest Czech e-shop also recorded a negative trend Alza.cz, whose brand is often abused by cyber attackers to obtain sensitive data, money or access to victims' bank accounts. The advice on how to avoid falling for scammers is simple. Just shop only on the website https://www.alza.cz/ or download the official Alza mobile app. It provides a secure environment for online shopping and minireduces the risk of fraud. Using the Alza mobile application ensures that customers are protected from various forms of cyber attacks.
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False ads on social networks, fraudulent SMS and emails, fake websites and, recently, advertisements on sales websites and so-called online marketplaces – everywhere, fraudsters are abusing the company's good name. Alza and is trying to deceive customers. This year alone, the company has already handled such cases hundreds. And with Christmas approaching, their intensity increases, which is also confirmed by the data of the Police of the Czech Republic.
"Cyber attackers take advantage of people's willingness to spend on gifts and benefit from their inattention or ignorance when shopping online. Attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish them from the original, which is why we strongly warn customers to check any suspicious-looking offer directly with the specific seller," advises Col. PhDr. Ondřej Moravčík, Head of the Press Department of the Police Presidium of the Czech Republic.
A new way for fraudsters to obtain funds or sensitive data is by advertising goods (most often electronics) at attractive prices on popular bazaar marketplaces. When negotiating a deal, interested parties are asked to pay for the goods in advance or make a deposit into the account. The fraudster then sends the victim the Alza account number with variaThe victim unknowingly pays for the order and there is nothing stopping the fraudster from picking up the goods at Alza. After accepting the order, he stops communicating with the victim.
Different forms of online fraud
This year too Alza is also facing a series of fraudulent SMS and e-mails, which usually inform about winning a non-existent competition. These so-called phishing attacks can be very treacherous in that they pretend to be official communication from an e-shop. However, the links contained usually lead to a completely different page, where they require payment or personal data to be entered.
"The stolen data is then used by fraudsters to create expensive orders on Alza at the victim's expense. Thanks to the functioning of the security team and close cooperation with the police, we have already blocked several such orders worth hundreds of thousands in a timely manner. In several cases, we have even helped to apprehend a specific person."chat"Yes," Chief Compli completesance Officer Alza.cz Pavla Vrbková. The arrest of pachatHowever, according to her, online fraud is more of an exception. Attacks also come from abroad and skilled hackers leave their mark in the anonymous environment of the Internet. ministop.
Pop-ups and fake ads on social media, which are among the most widespread fraudulent practices on the Internet, also have a similar goal to phishing. These posts on social media Facebook or Instagram, in the case of Alza, appear almost exclusively during the pre-Christmas season on a daily basis. Their common feature is that they attract often unrealistic discounts and offers, e.g. a new coffee machine for a fraction of the price. Usually
they are easily recognizable, but can confuse customers by being shared in different interest groups, featuring the Alza logo and comments from customers who allegedly took advantage of the promotion.
How to deal with scammers
Probably the most sophisticated form of fraud is a fake website imitating the Alzy e-shop. Similar to the previous examples, several basic rules apply to how to recognize it. The fact that the URL itself does not begin with letters will usually give it away "https”, then there is often a poor level of Czech (spelling errors, machine translation), a similar domain name only slightly different from Alza.cz (or Alza.sk, Alza.hu…), incomplete information about the goods, missing terms and conditions and contacts, or a suspiciously wide or very limited range. Fraudulent advertisements or phishing often include an unknown sender address, a suspicious fee or links leading to unknown sites.
"As a company, we distance ourselves from all these deceptive practices."ancWe strongly warn against them. Alza communicates only through its official channels, such as the website, mobile application or verified accounts on social networks. At the same time, we strive to regularly educate our customers and employeesancin the field of cybersecurity, to make attacks as difficult as possible for fraudsters," adds Pavla Vrbková. According to her, the basic rule is not to open e-mails that look strange, not to enter your sensitive data via unsolicited SMS or advertisements. "Especially during the pre-Christmas rush, when we receive a large number of legitimate messages from carriers and e-shops, let's increase our vigilance. Let's learn to take a second or two to think quickly before each 'click'. It won't cost us time, but it can really save our savings." concludes Vrbková.
Alza urges customers to contact the company directly if they suspect fraud Alza.com. The Alzy mobile application is a safe means of shopping and customers who use it do not have to worry about their transactions.
ALZÍ DESATERO, how to deal with Internet fraudsters
- Download the official the Alzy mobile application: Make sure you make purchases through the official Alza mobile app. This will ensure a secure transaction. Download the app directly from the official app stores (App Store, Google Play). Do not use links from unverified sources.
- Verify the URL: When shopping online, always check that the URL address begins with the letters "https". Don't rely on sites with poor spelling or machine translation. Alza's official website is https://www.alza.cz/.
- Check for suspicious offers: Any suspicious looking offer check directly with Alza.com. Cyber attackers often use fictitious advertisements on social networks or online marketplaces.
- Be careful of fake discounts: Avoid tempting offers with unbelievable discounts. Fake ads on social media can lead to fraud. Any suspicious looking offer check directly with Alza.com.
- Read SMS and e-mails carefully: Be careful when receiving text messages and e-mails that inform about winning a competition. Check the official communication on Alza's website or social networks.
- Protection of sensitive data: Never enter sensitive information via unsolicited SMS, e-mails or on suspicious websites.
- Check the level of Czech: Fraud sites often contain spelling errors or machine translation. Be alert for suspicious text quality.
- Verify contact details: Suspicious websites often do not have complete product details, terms and conditions or contact information. Please review this information before purchasing.
- Trust official communication channels: Alza communicates only through official channels, such as the website https://www.alza.cz/, mobile apps and verified social media accounts. Only trust information from these sources and avoid unverified links.
- Update and secure your device: Update the software on your devices regularly and use a reliable antivirus program. Updates ensure your device has the latest security measures, reducing the risk of exposure to fraud and cyber threats.
The tracks lead to Vietnam
ProSince several fake emails also arrived at our editorial email addresses, we tried to track them down and use IP address locators and other tools freely available on the Internet to "click through" the links and IP addresses from the emails. We found that miniAt least part of the activity comes from Vietnam, from where everything is apparently run via VPN through American servers to make it as difficult as possible for the attackers to trace.
Mr. Zavoral can handle it
I see that you have a lot of knowledge. Even the smartest today don't know who Alza It really belongs to you. Sam Zavoral said he sold Alza.
https://medium.seznam.cz/clanek/martin-stepanov-majitel-alzy-zchudl-o-35-miliard-po-manzelce-ho-opustilo-i-obchodni-stesti-27501
https://forbes.cz/valka-o-miliardy-komu-skutecne-patri-alza/