With the rise of the Internet and smartphone apps, new scams and scams are emerging. Fraudulent use of data, "Nigerian" scams, phishing and ransom are among the most common scams on the net.
Usurpers invent everyday ways to extract money or personal data via messages and especially on the social media Facebook.
The new scam on Facebook Messenger
Indeed, for a few days, a new scam rages on the application Facebook Messenger, it is inspired phishing or phishing. This technique is illustrated by a swindler who pretends to be a bank or a trademark in order to extract money directly from the victim's account thanks to the banking data that the victim himself gave him.
As for the attack that threatens the users of Facebook Messenger, it is characterized by a message sent by a knowledge or an unknown user. The user is prompted to click on a link to view a video. However, the link redirects to a page imitating the Google Docs or YouTube interface. Once the media is opened, a software installation request is available through a Flash Player update for a Safari user on the Mac or a Chrome extension for a Chrome user on Windows. If the victim installs it, the computer will be infected with advertising software and his personal data will be available to hackers. In parallel, this same message is sent to your friends via Facebook Messenger.
This phishing campaign was discovered by Kaspersky cyber security researchers. They can not yet determine how hackers used to spread malware through the Messenger application. However, as David Jacoby, a cybersecurity expert, explains, the infection is not irreversible. The social media Facebook has reacted by stating that it will offer a free anti-virus analysis if it suspects the presence of malicious software.
The most effective prevention with regard to this scam is to not click on the link and report false profiles. In addition, it is good to share information with their virtual entourage so that they also preserve their computer and their access to the Internet, especially to the main targets of scammers.
Who are the main victims of this type of scam?
Although everyone can be ripped off, some people are targeted by scammers. Indeed, the main victims of scams of all kinds on the Internet and by telephone are the elderly and young adults.
Older people are generally less skilled with new technologies and easily suffer from cognitive problems that can impair their judgment or isolation problems that make them gullible. Moreover, they have greater purchasing power than the rest of the population.
Young adults are also targeted because they are the most careless of preventive measures regarding updates, passwords and the sharing of personal and banking information.
Yet several simple and effective measures allow surfing the Internet or via smartphone applications without risking a virus or losing its data. Discover them in the following!
How to use the Internet safely?
In order to use the Internet safely, here are some precautions and recommendations to follow daily:
- Install an antivirus and update it regularly
- Do not click any link, image or video
- Use privacy settings
- Refuse requests for additions from unknown persons
- Beware of false profiles and nicknames
- Choose Secure Passwords
- Stay alert when using public Wi-Fi
- Report suspicious content
- Think twice before publishing personal content
- Never communicate your personal and bank details
- Check that the website starts with HTTPS
- When buying on the internet, check that a lock appears to the left of the site address, it guarantees the confidentiality of the information
- Update your applications