Security News

FTC goes undercover to probe suspected antivirus scam, scores $26M settlement
2024-03-14 20:24

A pair of tech support businesses accused of swindling marks out of their hard-earned cash have agreed to cough up a $26 million settlement following an undercover probe by the FTC. Restoro and Reimage - both headquartered in Cyprus and, based on the the US watchdog's complaint and settlement proposal [both PDFs], two arms of the same operation - have been running a pretty typical Windows antivirus scam since at least 2018, or so the regulator alleged. "To replicate consumers' experience with defendants' marketing, FTC investigators made four undercover purchases of defendants' services," the FTC said in its complaint.

Tax-related scams escalate as filing deadline approaches
2024-03-12 05:00

As the April 15, 2024 tax filing deadline approaches in the US, some old and some new tax-related scams targeting both taxpayers and tax professionals. The IRS has warned tax professionals about a "New client" scam where cybercriminals pose as potential clients via email, seemingly seeking assistance with tax preparation.

Exit Scam: BlackCat Ransomware Group Vanishes After $22 Million Payout
2024-03-06 15:03

The threat actors behind the BlackCat ransomware have shut down their darknet website and likely pulled an exit scam after uploading a bogus law enforcement seizure banner. "ALPHV/BlackCat did not...

BlackCat ransomware shuts down in exit scam, blames the "feds"
2024-03-05 15:49

The BlackCat ransomware gang is pulling an exit scam, trying to shut down and run off with affiliates' money by pretending the FBI seized their site and infrastructure. "The ransomware gang started the exit-scam operation on Friday, when they took their Tor data leak blog offline. On Monday, they further shut down the negotiation servers, saying that they decided to turn everything off, amid complaints from an affiliate that the operators stole a $20 million Change Healthcare ransom from them."

Cybercriminals Using Novel DNS Hijacking Technique for Investment Scams
2024-03-05 10:53

A new DNS threat actor dubbed Savvy Seahorse is leveraging sophisticated techniques to entice targets into fake investment platforms and steal funds. “Savvy Seahorse is a DNS threat actor who...

Savvy Seahorse gang uses DNS CNAME records to power investor scams
2024-02-28 14:00

A threat actor named Savvy Seahorse is abusing CNAME DNS records Domain Name System to create a traffic distribution system that powers financial scam campaigns. Using DNS CNAME records as a TDS. Savvy Seahorse creatively uses Canonical Name records as a Traffic Distribution System for its operations, allowing threat actors to easily manage changes, such as performing IP rotation that enhances detection evasion.

TimbreStealer Malware Spreading via Tax-themed Phishing Scam Targets IT Users
2024-02-28 07:43

Mexican users have been targeted with tax-themed phishing lures at least since November 2023 to distribute a previously undocumented Windows malware called TimbreStealer. Cisco Talos,...

Wire fraud scams escalate in real estate deals
2024-02-22 05:00

In this Help Net Security video, Tyler Adams, CEO at CertifID, illustrates how the real estate sector needs to invest significant effort in educating consumers and implementing protective measures to safeguard real estate transactions. Recent CertifID research found that median consumer losses in real estate fraud schemes exceeded $70,000 per incident as a result of stolen buyer down payments and seller net proceeds.

Fraudsters tried to scam Apple out of 5,000 iPhones worth over $3 million
2024-02-21 20:27

Two Chinese nationals face 20 years in prison after being caught and convicted of submitting over 5,000 fake iPhones worth more than $3 million to Apple with the goal of having them replaced with genuine devices. Apple offers a one-year warranty for new iPhones, enabling customers to return malfunctioning devices to Apple or authorized resellers for a replacement.

Duo face 20 years in prison over counterfeit iPhone scam
2024-02-21 18:30

Two Chinese nationals are facing a maximum of 20 years in prison after being convicted of mailing thousands of fake iPhones to Apple for repair in the hope they'd be replaced with new handsets. The Department of Justice says the pair submitted upwards of 5,000 "Inauthentic" iPhones to the tech giant "Intending to cause a loss of more than $3 million to Apple" between May 2017 and September 2019.