Articles about Scam

Researchers uncover fake Netflix recruiter scheme targeting Facebook accounts

Netflix on laptop

Cybersecurity researchers at Malwarebytes say they have uncovered a phishing campaign in which scammers pose as Netflix recruiters to target jobseekers, particularly marketing professionals.

The goal is to trick victims into handing over their Facebook credentials, potentially compromising both personal and business accounts.

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WhatsApp launches new tools to stop scammers

WhatsApp safety

WhatsApp is now an essential communication tool for both personal and business use, and its popularity means that it is also a prime target for scammers. As such, the company has just announced the rollout of a new series of tools designed to help keep users informed and protected.

Among these new tools is a safety warning for group chats that warns about being added to new chat groups by unknown contacts. There are also tools and advice for individual chats, which are also targets for scams.

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New report says Android users are better at avoiding scams than iPhone owners

Android phone scam

A new analysis of smartphone security habits reveals that Android users are safer online than their iPhone counterparts. Based on data from over 1,300 people in the US, UK, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, the report from Malwarebytes highlights key differences in how Android and iPhone users behave, and how those choices impact their chances of falling for online scams.

According to the research, Android users more often use security tools, make smarter purchasing decisions, and protect their accounts with stronger passwords. They are also less likely to fall for scams.

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Over half of employees fall for mobile phishing scams

A new report shows that security leaders have false confidence in their capabilities and employees when it comes to mobile security. While 96 percent are confident their employees can spot a phishing attempt, 58 percent have reported incidents where employees fell victim to executive impersonation scams via text message.

The study from Lookout, of more than 700 security leaders globally, underscores a critical need for organizations to rethink their cybersecurity strategies, particularly around the human-risk factors for social-engineering attacks.

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Nearly 60% of older adults have fallen for cyber scams, report finds

Older man fooling for scam

Online scams are evolving quickly, and while younger people often adapt with ease, older adults may not be keeping up.

According to Avast, nearly 60 percent of older loved ones have already fallen victim to cybercrime. Even when younger family members raise the alarm, the message does not always get through. Although 84 percent of adults say they have spoken to older relatives about potentially risky online habits, only 53 percent of those warned have taken the advice seriously and made changes

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How businesses can protect against online scams over the holiday season

Christmas-scam

The run up to the holiday period is a prime time for cyber attackers as they try to exploit the rise in online activity to launch phishing and spoofing attacks, distribute malware, and create fraudulent schemes.

Online retail brands are a prime target. Last year UK shoppers lost  more than £11.5 million to online scammers between November and January.  However, it’s important to remember that the risks also extend to other industry sectors, as employees may use work devices for last minute festive shopping and other end-of-year activity. Here we explore how scammers take advantage of this annual trend and how to protect against these threats.  

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How your voice could be used by phone scammers

We've all become used to scam phone calls of various kinds, but it seems AI is allowing them to become more sophisticated.

According to NordVPN, scammers are now able to create realistic voice clones from samples collected online and use them to extort money and data from victims' friends, relatives, or colleagues.

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Bitdefender launches free AI-powered scam detector

We know that fraud is on the increase and by their very nature scams can be hard to spot because… Well because they're scams.

Step forward Bitdefender with the launch of a new, free scam detection service designed to help users verify fraudulent online schemes delivered by email, embedded links, text, and instant messaging through collaboration with a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence.

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Over half of travel-themed spam emails are scams

Ever keen to jump aboard a passing bandwagon, scammers are looking to make a quick buck by exploiting eager vacationers trying to save money when booking travel deals.

But new research from Bitdefender Antispam Lab finds that only 38 percent of analyzed travel-themed spam emails received during a three-month analysis were marketing lures, with the remaining 62 percent marked as scams.

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New community helps businesses to collaborate like scammers

Cybercriminals and fraudsters have long relied on a dark web community to exchange information on vulnerable businesses and individuals as well as trading fraud-as-a-service schemes.

In an effort to turn the tables, Sift is launching a new online community called 'Sifters' to allow its customers to learn from, interact with, and share information with each other, including on any emerging fraud threats they encounter.

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Top enterprise concerns raised by so called 'romance' or 'pig butchering scams'

Romance Scam

During "romance week" and Valentine's Day, your heart can be stolen in the blink of an eye, and so can your money. The FBI has warned of "romance" scams, centering the bulletin around the celebration of love, which demonstrates that it’s not just a box of chocolates that’s seducing people, it’s scammers and cyber criminals. Staggering new data from the FTC shows that last year, nearly 70,000 people reported a romance scam, and reported losses hit $1.3 billion. The median reported loss was $4,400.

Romance scams are a variation of what’s called "pig butchering," a type of social engineering attack that alludes to the practice of fattening up a hog before slaughtering it. The approach combines some time-tested elements of fraud -- such as gaining trust. It relies on the effectiveness of relationships nurtured on social media and the ease with which currencies can be moved electronically. In simpler terms, scammers are posing as lovers, gaining the trust of their fake beau, and then asking them for money for gifts, procedures, plane tickets, you name it.

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Detection and protection from crypto romance scams

Crypto Bitcoin Hearts

You likely know what risks you face if you invest in cryptocurrency. The crypto market is highly volatile, and its decentralized status means no central authority backs the value of digital currencies. Another threat to investors is crypto romance scams.

Anyone who owns any form of cryptocurrency is a potential target for crypto romance scams. Here’s how to detect them and strategies to protect your finances from malicious cybercriminals.

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Top 5 holiday season fraud trends

With International Fraud Awareness Week and the holiday shopping season officially underway, analysts and retailers are diving into customers’ shopping habits. But it’s not just legitimate customers retailers need to be aware of, as fraudsters are just as keen on holiday shopping -- and they're already hitting online stores. 

Here are some of the top trends I'm seeing as we enter the peak of the holiday shopping season.

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Cybercriminals looking to score with World Cup scams

footballer goal

With Black Friday and the holiday shopping season this is always the peak time of year for scammers to try to fleece the unwary. But this year there's also the FIFA World Cup in Qatar to add to the mix.

Leaving aside the debate over whether the tournament should have been held in the Gulf state in the first place, researchers at Kaspersky have been looking at the scams aimed at stealing football (soccer for Americans) fans' identity and banking details.

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YouTube promotes a 'live' crypto scam for Taylor Swift

On my YouTube home page at the moment is a promoted 'live' ask me anything from Taylor Swift. Seeing as her latest album Midnights is currently breaking records everywhere, that’s not surprising.

The thing is this live video isn’t what it seems to be.

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