FTC Charges Three in $9M Phone Fraud Ring
The FTC has shut down a phone fraud scam that involved scammers calling consumers–mostly elderly and on fixed incomes–and pressuring them to invest in web sites that supposedly had ties to large companies, promising quick returns. The scheme allegedly netted the scammers more than $9 million. The scheme involved six companies that the FTC alleges were […]
Phone Scammers Target Immigrants in New Campaigns
Phone scams come in all shapes and sizes, and there are several new schemes that are targeting immigrants with demands for payments to maintain or update their immigration status. The scams closely resemble the IRS phone fraud scams that prey on victims’ fear of being penalized or arrested for unpaid back taxes. In this case, […]
DataSploit Framework Automates Intelligence Gathering for Social Engineers
Social engineering is a broad term applied to an ill-defined list of activities, and many of the techniques that criminals and white hats both use are developed ad hoc. But a new tool called DataSploit aims to pull together many of the reconnaisance activities into one framework that will gather large amounts of data on […]
Google Listing, Political Scams Top Phone Fraud Threats
Nearly 20 percent of all phone fraud calls hitting consumers and businesses this year are part of the fake Google listing scam, more than twice as many as the eight percent that are loan scam calls, according to new data released by Pindrop Labs. The Google listing scam is a relatively new one, having appeared just […]
FCC Pressures Carriers to Block Robocalls
The FCC is putting new pressure on both wireless carriers and traditional phone companies to give customers technology to block unwanted robocalls. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has told the carriers that they need to give their customers the option to block robocalls, which have become the largest source of complaints that the commission receives. The FCC […]
Seven Jailed in Massive Phone Fraud Scam
Authorities in the U.K. have sentenced seven people to prison for their part in running a wide-ranging phone fraud scam that cost victims more than £1.3 million over the course of several years. The scheme that the gang ran is a common and highly successful one that involves making calls to potential victims and telling them that […]
FTC Shuts Down Fake Charity Phone Scam
Phone fraud comes in many forms, as most crimes do, and it’s not always obvious that a particular version is actually a crime. The FTC has just shut down a company that was running a specific kind of phone fraud scam that involved pressuring victims to make donations to a fake charity for disabled people […]
Inside the Opsec Habits of Cybercriminals
The fight between attackers and security researchers often is portrayed as a kind of spy versus spy operation, with each side making moves and countermoves in order to stay undetected and continue operating. But while top-tier attackers pay close attention to the details and are adept at hiding their tracks, that doesn’t necessarily hold true for […]
Phone Fraud Scam Targets College Students For ‘Federal Student Tax’
The Federal Trade Commission is warning about a new variant on phone fraud scams that attempts to bully college students into paying a non-existent student tax. The scam is similar to many of the IRS phone scams that have been ongoing for several years, but with the novelty of pressuring students who likely are much […]