UK Launches Task Force to Address Fraud
Phone fraud, vishing, and other forms of financial fraud have emerged as serious threats to many financial institutions and their customers. Banks and government agencies have begun forming alliances to help address the issue, and the latest is a new task force in the U.K., comprising banks, law enforcement, and government agencies, that will help […]
New Data Shows Google Listing Phone Scam On the Rise
Like malware authors, phone scammers change their tactics and lures often, but for the most part, they play the hits. And the number one song so far this year has been the Google/Yahoo/Bing listing scam that accounted for 22 percent of robocalls in January. The new data from Pindrop Labs shows that scammers are using this […]
Feds Indict More Than 50 in Jury Duty Phone Fraud Scam
Federal officials have indicted more than 50 people, including 15 former prison officials and 19 former inmates, in a long-running vishing and phone fraud scheme that was run through a Georgia prison. Using cell phones smuggled into Autry State Prison by guards, the inmates would call victims, mostly in the Atlanta metro area, and inform them […]
Fake Tech Support Scams Evolve to Include Support, Purchase History
Calling a tech support line can be a fairly miserable experience. Having tech support reps calling you at home to warn you about supposed malware on your PC is even worse. It’s an old scam, but one that’s gotten a vicious new twist of late with scammers who know every detail of a victim’s support […]
IRS Tax Scams Remained Major Threat in 2015
The most dangerous piece of software installed on any computer is the browser, as it is the key target of the vast majority of online attacks. In the same way, the phone quickly is becoming one of the more dangerous devices you can own. Phone fraud scams, whether they target businesses or individual users, have become highly […]
The $1.5 Million Phone Call
Law enforcement agencies, politicians, and security experts often cite cybercrime as perhaps the largest threat to consumers and businesses right now. Finding an accurate estimate of the annual losses from cybercrime is more difficult than finding an honest politician, but certainly it’s in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Indeed, the disruption of botnets or […]
Anatomy of a Phone Fraud Scam
When Nargess Sadjady answered the phone at her home in London one early evening in August, the man on the other end gave her some disquieting news: There were some suspicious online purchases on her account. The caller spoke with a soft Scottish accent and said he was from the security team at her bank, […]
Four Men Convicted in Huge Phone Fraud Scam in UK
Prosecutors in the United Kingdom have convicted four men in connection with a widespread phone fraud scam that saw them steal more than £600,000 (more than $912,000) from a number of elderly victims over the course of a year. The men ran a version of a common scam in which they posed as police officers and called victims, […]