There is a new wave of cybercrime in 2024 that is so simple many of the would-be victims may be caught unawares. It has to do with a phishing scheme originating from the Middle East.
The latest Kaspersky statement, which doubles as a warning said this new phishing scheme is so simple that many fraudsters from around the world are copying it. Mobile users are especially vulnerable and highly at risk, warns Kaspersky.
The new scheme makes use of a simple plot- the attackers pose as people working at a postal service, requesting a small sum of money to help ship a package to you. Once a user clicks on an SMS authentication code for the money transfer, the device is compromised, enabling increasingly larger amounts of money to be stolen.
That’s how the scheme started. Now the cybercrime method is used in many ways. Fraudsters could pose as virtually any service provider such as prepaid electricity to airtime, and even others. It is not a complex phishing attack, so this phishing method is fast rising all over the world, including Africa.
Already, phishing is seen as a critical issue for people globally, regardless of what scheme is used to defraud others. It affects both businesses big or small, and individuals as well. But Kaspersky said that online stores also stand a greater risk of losing their money to scammers, even though everyone who makes use of mobile devices especially, should be vigilant against the scourge.
The use of phishing as a means to defraud is getting sophisticated by the day. In the past, poor grammar and spelling errors used to accompany the messages used but now, all these have been replaced with a clever copy to trick even the most experienced mobile users.
The best form of defense is to install security software like anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-spam technology on not just mobile devices but on laptops and every device connected to the internet.
