“The Golden Hour”: IDBank explains how to respond effectively to a scam attack

In medicine, there is a concept known as the “golden hour” – the critical time after an injury when assistance is most effective. The same applies to digital and financial security: if your data is compromised, every minute counts: it is during the first hours after an attack that criminals try to withdraw money from your accounts, apply for loans in your name, steal your account passwords․

What to do if you have just become a victim of scammers? The appropriate response depends on what exactly is at risk.

Bank card or card details. Immediately block the card through the app or contact the bank using its official number. Do not wait for the first suspicious charge.

• Phone number. If your SIM card suddenly stops working, or calls and SMS disappear, contact the mobile operator immediately. Control over your number can give scammers the ability to receive verification codes and restore access to other services.
• Messenger or social network. If you still have access, terminate unknown sessions, change your password, and enable two-factor protection. If logging in is no longer possible, use the official account recovery procedure.
• Email. This is one of the key accounts, as passwords for other services are often restored through it. If access remains, change your password and disconnect unknown devices. If not, use the email provider’s official account recovery procedure.

Important detail

After a breach, people often waste time trying to figure out exactly what happened. This is a mistake. The correct order of actions is the reverse: first block the card, cut off access to your accounts, and contact the mobile operator, and only after that reconstruct the sequence of events.

Legal trap

After a scam attack begins, it is important not only to stop further damage, but also to preserve evidence of what happened. Do not delete suspicious messages, notifications, and correspondence. Take screenshots of bank transactions and attempts to log into your accounts.

If money has already been stolen or your data has been used by scammers, this information will be needed by the bank and law enforcement agencies during the investigation.

IDBank recommends։

• Act immediately. If card details might have fallen into the hands of scammers, contact the bank without delay.
• Distinguish protection from recovery. If you still have access to your account, change your password and disconnect unauthorized devices. If access is lost, use only the official recovery procedure.
• Start with the main "keys": your phone number and email address. Through them, scammers can gain access to other services.
• Warn people close to you. If a messenger or social network account is hacked, inform others through a different channel that money requests and links sent in your name should be ignored.

Remember: after a breach, the main mistake is wasted time. The faster you cut off scammers' access to your money, phone number, and key accounts, the less damage they will be able to cause. In digital security, the "golden hour" begins with a simple habit: don’t panic — act immediately.

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