The ingenious art of scamming the distracted: season of offers and phishing
Just as parents take a deep breath at the back to school bill, the cybersecurity angels at Kaspersky (bless them) have uncovered the rotten pot of an online fraud campaign that already has more than a thousand malicious domains. Your specialty? With an almost artisanal affection, replace your favorite clothing, footwear, accessories stores and even the corner supermarket. Because, of course, what would Latin America be without a touch of emotion in each purchase? Mexico, Chile and Brazil lead in this ranking of misfortune, demonstrating once again that Latin American unity is possible… when it comes to falling for scams.
The kind criminals, always attentive to trends, publish ads on social networks such as Facebook and Instagram with offers so irresistible that even the most skeptical would shed a tear. Upon clicking, the user is greeted with a fake page that imitates the official store with enviable precision. Personal data? Banking information? Of course! Everything is for a supposed bargain. What happens next is textbook: card cloning, mysterious charges or, for the most enterprising, the sale of your data on the black market. A great business, as long as you are not the product.
User trust: the most precious (and exploited) asset
Kaspersky, with the patience of someone explaining something for the umpteenth time, pointed out that this campaign is not new, but it has gained strength thanks to the summer sales and purchases prior to back to school. The detail? The publications come from unofficial accounts, but they are so persuasive that even the smartest person could take the bait. Because, let’s be honest, who can resist a 70% discount on backpacks with wheels?
The problem is aggravated by a fact that borders on the tragicomic: 43% of Mexicans do not know what phishing is. Yes, that ancient technique (in Internet years) where they fish your data with digital bait. To top it all off, 46% happily share personal information when shopping online. Come on, if scamming were a sport, users would be handing over their rackets and asking: “Where do I serve?”
The fraudulent sites do not skimp on details: they reproduce logos, “secure payment” seals and product categories with a care that would deserve a better cause. They even allow convenience store deposits, because what could be safer than paying cash in a store? Spoiler: the money goes directly to the scammers, with no intermediate stops. Magic!
“They offer different payment methods, including credit or debit card, but the data entered is not sent to a secure banking system, but rather goes directly into the hands of the scammers,” Kaspersky explained with enviable calm. They also allow offline payments, such as making deposits at convenience stores. In these cases, the user receives a payment reference and upon doing so, the money is transferred directly to the criminals. Advice? If you see a deal that seems too good to be true, you’re probably funding a scammer’s vacation to Bali.
María Isabel Manjarrez, security researcher at Kaspersky, summed it up elegantly: “These campaigns take advantage of the popularity of brands and the trust of users. Part of the problem is that many do not know how to verify if a site is real.” Wow, what a surprise. In a world where verifying news takes seconds, we prefer to blindly trust an Instagram ad from an account called “Ofertas_100%_reales_😍”.
The company, in a burst of useful obviousness, advised to be wary of overly attractive offers (who knew!), verify that the sites have https and the security lock, carefully review the domains to avoid fake pages and use digital cards in online purchases. Additionally, having cybersecurity tools can immediately block fraudulent sites. Come on, a little digital paranoia never hurts.
If you have submitted data to a false portal, the recommendation is to cancel the card, avoid all contact with the scammers (too bad, they are surely charming) and report the fact to the authorities. Because, after all, what would society be without a good official piece of paper confirming that you were scammed?
Ready to surf the Internet without financing a cybercriminal’s yacht? Share this article on your social networks and help your contacts avoid these ingenious (and expensive) traps. Explore more content related to digital security on our site and become the hero the internet needs, but doesn’t deserve.
