Security News
Researchers at mobile security firm Lookout have identified more than 170 Android apps that target and scam users interested in cryptocurrencies. These apps cannot even be classified as 'malware' since they do nothing typified as malicious and don't contain a payload. This is the height of their sophistication.
The global study of consumers revealed that just receiving a scam message purporting to be from any brand is enough for 45% of them to lose trust in the organization regardless of any real association with the message. Industries most targeted by fraudsters are financial services and ecommerce with consumers stating that of all scam messages they receive, 59% claim to represent their bank, or a retailer.
A new report finds that fake investment scams have netted the most funds among all the types of active blockchain scams. CryptoMixer.com, a fake Bitcoin tumbler, is the biggest known active blockchain scam in terms of funds collected.
We have seen a surge in WhatsApp accounts being hacked, if you are sent a text from WhatsApp with a code on it, don't share the code with ANYONE no matter who's asking, or the reason why. We've discussed this scam before on the Naked Security podcast, because it's a good reminder of how cybercriminals use one hijacked social media account to target others.
The number of spam calls, the number of people losing money to them and the total amount of money lost In the past year are all record setting. A study of U.S. residents has found that one in three say they've fallen victim to a phone scam in the past year, and 19% say they've been duped more than once.
With this year's Amazon Prime Day set for June 21-22, scammers are already touting "Early Prime Day Deals," says Bolster. Amazon Prime Day represents an opportunity for consumers to find deals and save money on their favorite products.
China's crackdown on cryptocurrencies has reached a new crescendo, with the nation's Ministry of Public Security on Wednesday proclaiming it has arrested over 1000 people and shut down 170 gangs that provided crypto-linked money-laundering services. Others are what China calls "Two cards" scammers, who funnel their ill-gotten gains to acquire phone cards that are shipped outside China, then use call credit stored in the cards to make scam calls back into the Middle Kingdom.
Bitcoin scams have soared over the last seven months. The surge started around October 2020, and the scams are continuing today.
The US Federal Trade Commission says that over $80 million were lost to cryptocurrency investment scams, according to roughly 7,000 reports received since October 2020. The most vulnerable group to this type of scam were consumers aged 20 to 49 who were five times more likely to lose money, with more than half of all investment scam losses they reported being linked to cryptocurrency.
The criminal gang behind the disruptive Colonial Pipeline ransomware hack says it is shutting down operations, but threat hunters believe the group will reemerge with a new name and new ransomware variants. Another potential complication with a DarkSide shutdown is the status of live, ongoing negotiations on ransomware payments and data decryption tools.