Alert for the “double call” scam: what to do to avoid falling into a case of smishing and vishing

This year it has consolidated as one of the most affected by cyber attacks. And within the attacks, scams are the order of the day: the famous ones uncle’s story it went 100% digital in 2022. And new techniques appear every time. One of them is that of “double calling”, which has to do with what is being called smishing Y vishing.

Smishing consists of sending an SMS posing as a legitimate entity, such as a bank, institution or social network, with the aim of stealing confidential information or making a financial charge. Typically, these messages include a link to a fake website or invite you to call a premium rate number.

Vishing, on the other hand, is a method of scam which consists in making a call by impersonating a company entity, trusted person or organization. During the conversation, scammers try to get personal and sensitive information from the victim.

For this reason we must be very careful of what is known as the scam of “double call”. Here’s what it is and how to protect yourself.

How the double call scam works

Something that sets this type of scam apart is that it requires two phone calls.

It is common for the victim to receive an SMS supposedly sent from their bank or a delivery company. In the message they inform you of changes in the delivery of the package or strange movements in your account, inviting you to access a link to change the access codes for security reasons.

A few minutes later, the victim receives a phone call posing as the entity e they ask you for the access codes to online banking to cancel cards.

The victim then logs into the bank’s website from their browser, where they will see a pop-up window requesting their login codes again. At that moment you receive a sms with the keyswhich are actually the confirmation keys for the fraudulent operation.

With this social engineering technique they gain sensitive data and control of users’ bank accounts.

When parcel companies are impersonated, which is very common, the cyber attack is carried out via an SMS in which they ask you to enter the parcel delivery address. These types of messages always include a link to install apk applications that seem to be the official ones of the entities they impersonate.

When the victim accepts the download, in addition to the application, remote access software will also be installed on the device, which will request to receive, read and edit SMS.

Message content usually looks like this: “As of (date) you will not be able to use your account. It must be verified in the system from the following link…”, “An unauthorized computer is connected to your online account. If you don’t recognize it, check the following link” or “Your account or bank card has been temporarily blocked”.

If customers access the link and enter the access codes requested by the alleged subject, they must promptly contact their bank to block any type of transaction and change the password to access online banking.

In all cases of computer fraud, you receive a link – underlined line and blue text – under the pretext of solving a fictitious problem. The data that cybercriminals usually request are: bank account number, name and surname, ID, online banking password, number, expiration date and code CVV credit or debit cards.

cybercrime is on the rise

The number of cyberattacks due to data theft or ransomware increased during 2022 in Latin American countries. The data comes from Microsoft’s annual Digital Defense Report, prepared based on information collected between July 2021 and June 2022 from around the world and released this month.

According to the Microsoft report, the number of password attacks has increased by 74% in the last year. This confirms an alarming growth trend in cybercrime, at a time when digital transformation and the rapid adoption of devices with Internet access have significantly increased the attack surface in the digital world.

However, the study found that the number of cyberattacks did not spread evenly across all regions. Microsoft observed a decrease in the number of ransomware cases reported in Europe and North America compared to 2021, while cases reported during the same period in Latin America increased.

The Report also found a steady increase in the number of email attacks, better known as phishing. In this sense, the researchers noted that the war in Ukraine has become the new bait for this type of cyber crime– An alarming increase in emails posing as organizations requesting cryptocurrency donations in Bitcoin and Ethereum to support citizens of Ukraine has been observed.

“As we consider the severity of the threat to the digital landscape and its translation into the physical world, it’s important to remember that we all have the power to take action to protect ourselves and our organizations. against digital threatssaid Tom Burt, corporate vice president of Customer, Security and Trust at Microsoft.

For these reasons, 2022 is one of the most complex years in terms of everything to do with cybercrime.

personal scams, as a tale of a digital uncleI’m not the exception.

SL