We are all familiar with tech support scams. In this scam, unwary people are tricked into granting remote access to their computers by scammers, believing that a “tech support person” will solve a nonexistent “problem” (such as a “virus”). increase. Infected”) or issue a refund after claiming fraud has been detected on your account.
When conversing with their target victims, the scammers use their well-honed social engineering skills to make it appear as if they accidentally transferred too much money to their target’s online bank account, giving the victim: Telling is not uncommon. If you don’t return the extra cash, the scammers will lose their jobs.
Victims are often asked to make wire transfers, deposit gift cards, use cryptocurrencies or money transfer apps. This is because these transfers are difficult to reverse.
But tech support scammers are increasingly telling victims to hide real cash in newspapers and magazines and send it through shipping companies, according to a new FBI bulletin.
It’s not entirely clear why scammers would use this rather old-fashioned offline method of receiving money, but the FTC against payments company Nexway, which has been accused of knowingly processing fraudulent credit card payments on behalf of the technology. may be related to the measures taken by Support scammers.
Wouldn’t it be surprising if tech support scammers, deprived of the usual channels for receiving funds, found other ways to help hide their payments from authorities’ detection?
According to an FBI bulletin, scammers recently instructed victims to ship packages of money to retailers who could pick up parcels for shipping companies on behalf of their customers.
The FBI encourages anyone who has been or has been victim of such fraud to contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), including the following details:
- The name of the person or company that contacted you.
- The method of communication used (website, email, phone number, etc.).
- The address and name of the recipient to which the cash was sent.
My guess is that most readers of this book will state of security You are unlikely to fall for such scams. Can we really be tricked into sending money hidden in our packages to random addresses because someone claims to represent a legitimate company? .
However, in reality, you may have friends or relatives who are not very security savvy and who are prone to scams. And if they “saw” with their online eyes what appeared to be an erroneous deposit to their bank account (in reality, it was the manipulation of a browser window by a remote fraudster). ), believe it or not.
Also, don’t make the mistake of thinking that only senior citizens fall for tech support scams. His 2021 study by Microsoft found that Gen Z (ages 18-23) and millennials (ages 24-37) are also prone to losing money to scammers.
For all of us concerned with cybersecurity and online privacy, ensuring we help our loved ones and those who may be more vulnerable to scammers than ourselves, and advising on the tactics used by online scammers. share and watch your eyes.
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this guest author article are those of the contributor only and do not necessarily reflect those of Tripwire.
