How to protect yourself from mobile fraud

This article discusses the danger that may lie in the face of citizens - fraud committed through the use of a victim’s mobile phone.

I recommend sometimes to view news about fraud, because fraudsters regularly change ways to seize other people's money. Since the goal is to get someone else's money, new ways will be invented, so you need to be prepared for various dangers, what was relevant yesterday, may already be unknown, and those ways already forgotten can be used again. In addition, if you are a victim of fraud, then try to share your story with other citizens, and with this you will contribute to the fight against fraudsters. Taking into account the fact that Ukraine is a little behind in technology, it is also necessary to reread the news of foreign sites, since what was previously used abroad today can be found here.

Some fraudsters do not bother themselves with high moral principles, they sometimes do not care who to deceive, no matter how old a man or a teenager is.

The most varied methods of fraud when used by mobile communications:

Viruses in mobile phones.
The new Trojan program provides fraudsters with the possibility of stealing money not from the mobile, but from the victim’s bank account, if the Mobile Bank service is connected. Fraudsters send a message to the owners of mobile devices with a proposal to download a “postcard”, “gift”, etc. internet link. For example: links from the harmless message “Hi! Catch my New Year's gift :), download XXXXXX ”can redirect to Android OS malware, which downloads other malicious applications to your mobile device, as well as collect text messages and send them to the attacker's server. Thanks to such a “gift,” fraudsters may receive, including messages containing information about banking transactions and passwords. Having passed through this link, the user instead of the promised gift downloads himself a malicious program that is able to ask the balance without a subscriber’s participation, replenish the account from the bank card, if it is tied to the number, and then withdraw funds from the subscriber’s personal account to the intruders’s wallets. You can find out about the existence of such a threat in your phone only with the help of antivirus software or by constantly tracking transactions in your bank account. Understandably, our valiant militia has probably not been able to track down such scammers.

1) password defaults
There are many schemes for luring passwords, most likely that professional hackers do not do this, for this there are a lot of other methods and programs (mobile analogs of keyloggers, intercepting the frequency of mobile radio waves, etc.). There are, for example, such schemes, the wiman password for non-professionals:

A beautiful girl of model appearance in a social network writes that she was mistaken with a number or writes that you can help me. Then she asks to say her mobile number, then an SMS with a code comes to you and she asks you to report the code that came to you by SMS. After receiving the code, the attacker buys virtual currency for money from your personal account.

2) Everything is built on the trust of the victim.

SMS from a non-existent bank
Imagine a situation: you are going on vacation, pass the passport control at the airport, and at this moment a message comes in: “Your bank card is blocked. For unblocking issues, please contact us at such a telephone number ”, and then the signature:“ Technical department of the bank ”. In a state of stress, you impulsively call the number indicated in the message. And at the end are already waiting for scammers. Posing as bank employees, they will ask for credit card information in order to withdraw money from it in a matter of hours. When receiving such SMS in any case do not disclose personal data. Even if they appear to be bank employees. Be sure to check the information: call the contact center of the bank at the number indicated on the card.

3) Winnings
Everyone is pleased to receive a gift - suddenly feel like the owner of a million or expensive cars. Has an SMS arrived on your phone about winning a valuable prize? The text is most often about the content: “Congratulations! You have won a laptop like this ... Details on the phone ... ”The attackers subscribe, as a rule, with the name of a radio station or distribution network, it is well known.

Do not be in a hurry to rejoice in sudden good luck and call the "for reference" number indicated in the message. Most likely, fraudsters lure money "winner" under the pretext of a tax on the win. Do not fall for tricks! Specify information about the promotion on the website of the organizing company, where all the conditions of the draws and methods of communication should be presented.

4) “A request for help”
A similar option is a call from a stranger who says: “Your son shot down a person (or was arrested with drugs). For the ransom, everything can be settled. ” Frightened parents take such a message at face value and carry any money to the payment terminal to help their child.

Since the beginning of the year, only in the Ilyichevsky district, 8 facts of such telephone fraud have been recorded. None of them are disclosed. Learn extortionists difficult. Only the voice is known to the victims. And the victims do not immediately turn to the police. So, it is out of the question to solve a crime without delay. You can really protect yourself. In the first place - double-check information. At least call family. Then call 102.

Before the holidays, fraudsters like to send an SMS or MMS message with greeting cards or links to photos. Follow the link - and part of the money is withdrawn from the account, or a virus is loaded into the phone. Therefore, if the subscriber is unknown, and the number is not specified, then do not remove the attached files and do not follow the links.

5) Wangiri

Behind the mysterious word "Wangiri" lies a fraudulent scheme that appeared in Japan. Who is calling from an unknown number, but as soon as you pick up the phone, the call suddenly ends. You call back and get to the autoinformer, whose task is to keep you on the line as long as possible while money is flowing from your account. The cost of a call to such a number can reach several dozen hryvnia per minute, and a few seconds waiting on the line can cost you serious money.

6) Offers to meet
Everyone wants to find their love. Mobile fraudsters send offers to meet - on dating sites, on social networks, via email and SMS. In the simplest form, you get the message: “Hi! My name is Roxana. I really want to meet you. Throw me an SMS, I'll answer you later. Write the word Roxana and send to the number XXXX. I will know that it is you. " After sending an SMS with the word "Roxana" money is debited from your account, and the acquaintance ends without even starting.

7) Unsubscribe from spam
SMS comes that you are subscribed to the service of receiving, for example, a weather forecast, a few days free. To disconnect, you need to dial the message STOP on such a four-digit number. After that, the money in the account significantly reduced. By the way, since November, the most responsible cellular operators have introduced the Antispam system, which blocks the message from short alphanumeric and numeric numbers. Over sixty million spam messages, including those containing malicious software and outright deceptions, are filtered weekly.