Don't Step on the Rake of This WhatsApp Scam
One of the defining characteristics of the times we live in is the speed with which information is spread around. Never before have people been able to share news, alerts, and opinions as quickly as we do it now, and surely, this must be a very good thing. As it turns out, it not always is. Earlier this week, for example, Action Fraud, UK's national reporting center for cyberattacks and online scams, warned people of an ongoing hoax that is causing unnecessary stress in a time when people are under enough mental strain as it is.
A bogus alert about a smishing scam is doing the rounds in the UK
Apparently, for the last few weeks, WhatsApp and social media users have been unwittingly spreading a bogus alert with which they are trying to protect their close ones from a smishing scam that doesn't exist. The shared message reads that the City of London Police Fraud Team has noticed a wave of malicious SMSs sent to bank customers in the UK. According to the fake alert, the texts falsely claim that the recipient has some unpaid bills to a telecommunication provider. The victim is given a URL, and as soon as they click it, "the money is gone." Users are urged to copy the alert, send it to their loved ones, and share it with their social media friends and followers. Quite a few people have done so, but apart from spreading false information, they have achieved nothing else.
The City of London Police said that it's not dealing with such a scam at the moment, and Action Fraud urged people not to share the false information. In other words, it's all made up. Why, then, should we pay attention to it?
The lack of understanding fuels the spread of fake news
Finding the motivation behind this particular type of hoax is perhaps the most difficult thing. Whoever started it stands to make no monetary gain from the whole operation, and we must say that the harm done by it is not that huge. Most likely, someone was too bored because of the lockdown and decided to entertain themselves with people's reactions to a bogus threat.
We should nevertheless pay attention to this type of hoaxes because they, just like more destructive scams, rely on one single thing – people's lack of knowledge. As experts from Sophos pointed out, there are a few things about the alert that can tip the user off.
Perhaps the most obvious problem is the idea that you click a link, and your money disappears immediately. Technically, it is possible for crooks to lure you onto a malicious webpage that installs malware on your device, but that would require careful planning and a level of sophistication that most run-of-the-mill cybercriminals simply don't possess. Even if they do install malware on your phone or computer, they'll first need to steal your username and password before they can siphon off your life savings. A smishing attack is much more likely to involve a convincing-looking login form that tries to trick you out of your credentials. The more people are aware of this, the less successful scams will be, but unfortunately, not many seem to realize it.
When they see many users fall for this type of hoax, many security specialists are tempted to say that people are just too naïve. Such a claim suggests that they are failing to grasp the nature of the problem. There is a major difference between naivety and lack of understanding. The former is almost impossible to cure, whereas a bit of education can help eradicate the latter. This is what industry specialists should be focusing on.
