New scheme to rob people by cyber criminals.
Intro: The incidents of cyber fraud are increasing day by day. Advice like not clicking on unknown links, never giving OTP to anyone, not receiving unknown video calls etc. are given to avoid cyber fraud. However, now even if you do none of these and open a photo on WhatsApp, there is a risk of emptying your bank account.
Do you know? Photos or videos that seem familiar to us may contain malware or some hidden code.
A new way of cyber fraud.
T(caps)he story is from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. A businessman received a call from an unknown number. The caller said that he had been sent a photo on WhatsApp, please identify it. The businessman opened WhatsApp, clicked on the photo and downloaded it. The photo was of an old man. The businessman could not identify him. He hung up the phone. After that, he kept getting calls from that number. Within a few minutes, he received three messages from the bank. The first message was about the deposit of one rupee in the account and the next two messages were about the transfer of 1 lakh and 1.10 lakh from the account respectively.
How does fraud happen?
The photo that the cyber crooks sent to the businessman on WhatsApp contained malware. Within minutes of downloading the photo, an unknown app called 'Customer Support' was automatically installed on his phone. Everything that happened after that happened through this app. That is, through the app Cybercriminals hacked the businessman's phone and transferred money.
How does this scam happen?
First of all, cyber bullies send people blurry photos on WhatsApp. With which attractive and emotional text is written. Or they will send the photo and call and ask questions. Like, is this your brother? Do you know this person? Look, I found your old photo. After reading this kind of text, it is natural that people will get curious and they will click on that photo and download it. That's all cyber bullies want There are. The photo that seems normal to us, in fact, has malware or code hidden in it. This technique is called stenography. Along with the photo, malware or code is also downloaded to the phone. Using which, cyber criminals hack your phone.
With the help of this code, most of the time a third party app gets installed in your phone without your knowledge. Using which, the criminals gain access to your phone. Then the first thing they do is hit your bank account. Your personal data number comes. If you remember, some time ago, people used to get .apk files in the name of wedding invitations, downloading which would also hack the phone. This is also something like that.
What to do to avoid this type of fraud?
- First of all, if you receive any file, not just a photo, from an unknown number, do not immediately download it. First, check the number, look at the DP, look at the name, and only download if it is someone you know.
- If you recognize this message from an unknown number, be alert immediately if it is an emotional message like an old photo of your father... etc. Also, be alert if someone tries to do emotional blackmail over the phone.
- Keep your phone updated with the latest version. Also, keep important apps like WhatsApp and banking updated.
- If possible, use anti-virus on the phone and scan the phone periodically. Apart from this, the phone can also be scanned by connecting it to a computer.
- Always use two-factor authentication, which will add a layer of security to your account.
- If you find anything suspicious on your phone, the first thing to do is turn off the internet. Then first inform the bank and then contact the cyber police.
Cyber fraud is no longer limited to OTPs, links or fake calls. Criminals are now taking advantage of emotions, relationships and curiosity and trapping people in their trap. Therefore, both awareness and understanding are necessary in the use of technology.
Source: news paper
Welcome to the lexedge, please don't spam in comments.