Genome’s approach to secure money transfers and data protection

Think you can spot a scam? Test your knowledge of fraud prevention

Do you know how to recognize a scam when you see one? Take our quick fraud prevention test to see how sharp your fraud-detection skills really are - and learn how to stay one step ahead of the scammers.

Regular usage of Genome’s services

Genome is an Electronic Money Institution licensed and supervised by the Bank of Lithuania. We operate entirely online, and our clients can access Genome’s web version via their computers, laptops, phones, and tablets, or download the Genome app on their phones or tablets.

To protect our clients' data at every step, Genome complies with all major regulations and standards, including:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
• Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2)
• ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27701:2019, certified by TÜV NORD CERT

Our compliance efforts confirm our commitment to information security, privacy, and operational resilience, in line with the EU's Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA).

ATM skimming

What it is

It occurs when a fraudster attaches a device to an ATM that reads the magnetic stripe of banking cards and PIN codes. In such a case, scammers will replicate the card using the information they obtained to steal money.

How to protect yourself

To avoid such a scheme, make sure to always check that there is no additional keypad on top of the ATM's keypad, no card skimmer installed in the card slot of the ATM, and no additional camera directed at the ATM that can skim or capture your PIN and other card details.

Card-not-present fraud

What it is

This fraud type refers to criminal activity when a fraudster uses compromised or stolen banking cards. Usually, scammers try to make online purchases or money transfers to their accounts or other operations that do not require the physical presence of the actual card owner.

How to protect yourself

Clients must be cautious and can prevent their card/card data from being stolen. They need to ensure that they don't leave their cards unattended in public places and don't share their card data with anyone. Two-factor authentication must be in place for all card-not-present transactions. Also, it is essential to regularly monitor your transaction history to detect suspicious operations that a card owner doesn't recall. Follow the notifications regarding card transactions. If your card got lost/stolen, or you suspect that someone has obtained your card data, you need to immediately contact the support team and block your card.

Phishing

What it is

In this case, malicious actors try to defraud personal information to access personal and financial accounts or steal financial data using deceptive tactics. Fraudsters that use phishing usually assume someone else's identity or operate under the guise of popular websites, especially e-commerce ones.

How to protect yourself

During phishing, scammers operate via emails - they may try to fish out personal information by asking a person to reply or implement a "click on a link" email spam so a person will download malware. There are also two other types of phishing - smishing (SMS phishing) and vishing (voice phishing). With the former, fraudsters contact their targets via text messages and messenger apps, and with the latter - via phone calls and voice messages.

To avoid this type of fraud, you need to ignore all emails, messages, and calls from unknown sources. Be careful when opening emails, texts, or receiving phone calls - don't rush into things. Do not open attachments and links from unknown sources or sources you do not recognize. Do not enter your Genome card details on webpages you are redirected to following such links, even if they look like the Genome website. Never share personal or financial details, passwords, or other credentials via email, phone, or messages. Install antimalware and antivirus software on your devices.

Wire transfer fraud

What it is

It occurs when a fraudster tricks someone into wiring money into their account. It is also known as authorized push payment fraud. Scammers often pose as bank employees and tax officials to trick people. A person also may receive a letter with a fake payment request that looks legitimate, even to the business email.

How to protect yourself

One of the basic rules for dealing with such scams is to refrain from sending funds to anyone you don't know and cannot confirm their identity. If the request comes from someone you know, verify their identity. And, as in the case of phishing schemes, do not share personal, financial information, or account credentials with a person requesting a wire transfer.

Account takeover

What it is

This fraudulent scheme occurs when a fraudster gains access to user accounts of individuals and companies to steal sensitive data or money. Often, this happens when stolen credentials are used. Thieves change the login, password, and contact information to lock the owner out of their account. When it comes to bank account takeover, in most cases, malicious actors transfer money to other accounts, make fraudulent payments, and try opening a credit line in the victim's name.

How to protect yourself

The account takeovers can be prevented if the account user takes safety precautions regarding passwords and credentials. To do so, a person must use strong passwords that contain upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special symbols. Each password must be unique for every account, and you should change them regularly - once every 1 to 3 months. Don't share your credentials with anyone or store them inside your computer, phone, or other device. If you have become a victim of an account takeover, you need to notify the support team immediately.

Romance scams

What it is

In such fraud cases, malicious actors target people who seek socialization and romantic relationships. They primarily communicate with their victims via social media and messages and assume another person’s identity. The fraudsters’ goal is to instill a sense of trust into a person they communicate with, so they can manipulate the individual into sending them money.

How to protect yourself

How you can recognize potential romance scammers: they will be very lively, engaging in conversation with their target at any chance. They will actively appeal to their target’s interests and beliefs to establish a more profound sense of connection between them. They are very likely to profess their “romantic feelings” towards the fraud victim early on during messaging. Once a scammer feels that they have gained the victim’s trust, they will ask for a funds transfer. When doing so, they will usually lie that they urgently need money because of an emergency.

Loan fraud

What it is

This type of fraud occurs when malicious actors assume the identity of a loan firm to illegally obtain funds. The scammers try to trick individuals and companies into getting a loan of any kind and will offer lucrative deals and rush their victims into the process. Typically, they will ask for a payment in advance before the deal is even concluded. Once fraudsters receive the money transfer, they vanish.

How to protect yourself

To avoid loan fraud, individuals and businesses must ignore emails and messages from companies that offer loans and duly check the authenticity of a business they want to lend money from - it must have all the necessary licenses and registrations, a legitimate name, address, website, and other data. You need to carefully read through the terms and conditions, as well as documents, before signing them.

Emotional manipulation and fake promises fraud

What it is

This fraudulent scheme shares many similarities with phishing scams. A person will receive a text/email/phone call about winning a lottery or a prize, even though they didn't participate in any giveaways. Using this pretense, scammers will either send a link or request personal information. If the individual clicks a link, they risk downloading malware. And if they give away personal information, the malicious actors will use it to log into a person's accounts and steal data and funds.

Fraudsters will email someone, claiming that this person has inherited a lot of money or other prized possessions from a distant relative. Scammers then will require a “small fee” for their services, for instance, to cover notary expenses, etc. Once an individual pays the said “fee,” malicious actors disappear, and a person, predictably, does not inherit anything.

How to protect yourself

If you get notified that you have won anything - be skeptical and do not click on any links or attached files. It is also crucial that you don't provide any information or financial data.

Such fraudulent emails create a highly unlikely scenario, so most people are likely to ignore them altogether. If you receive an email notifying you about an inheritance, be skeptical. Do not click any links, download any attachments, or share any information with scammers.

Investment scams

What it is

In the case of this fraud type, malicious entities contact their victims and offer to invest in stocks, property, cryptocurrency, etc., to fish out their funds. This scam is more elaborate, as fraudsters will usually create websites and presentations about how much money a person can get by investing. Of course, the information on these websites and presentations is fake and blown out of proportion to make the investment deal more lucrative. Scammers will try to call and text their targets as often as possible and aggressively market their investment product. Their goal is to pressure people into making money transfers, after which the fraudsters disappear.

How to protect yourself

To protect yourself from such a scheme, ignore companies that find you first and offer investment opportunities - they may be potential scammers. It’s also easy to recognize fraudsters among investment firms if they aggressively push their product and promise that an individual will get rich in a short period of time. At first, these malicious actors may ask for a small contribution but then start pushing clients to invest more and more.

Remember that a legitimate company that provides investment services must be licensed by the supervisory authority of the country in which it is registered. Before dealing with any investment company, a person must first check the jurisdiction it is registered in and verify if the investment company has the permits to provide such services inside the person’s country of residence.