Tag: phishing

  • Meta blocks over 1,000 malicious URLs disguised as ChatGPT and AI tools

    Meta blocks over 1,000 malicious URLs disguised as ChatGPT and AI tools

    The internet is becoming more hazardous as the number of scams on the internet increases. Social media giants are now alerting users to fraudulent ChatGPT apps that are circulating on the internet. It is essential for users to be vigilant and only download ChatGPT apps from reliable sources.

    Meta has identified scammers exploiting people’s interest in ChatGPT by enticing users to download harmful apps and browser extensions. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of people’s curiosity and trust in ChatGPT to launch attacks, using tactics similar to those used in cryptocurrency scams.

    Meta has discovered about ten malware families that pose as ChatGPT and other similar tools. These malware strains are used to compromise accounts across the internet. Once a user downloads the malware, the malicious actors can launch an attack and keep updating their methods to bypass security protocols.

    Meta’s Q3 2023 security report states, “Over the past several months, we’ve investigated and taken action against malware strains taking advantage of people’s interest in OpenAI’s ChatGPT to trick them into installing malware pretending to provide AI functionality.” The company has detected and blocked over 1,000 unique malicious URLs from being shared on their apps, protecting unsuspecting users from falling prey to these cyberattacks.

    Furthermore, Meta has reported these malicious URLs to their industry peers at file-sharing services where malware is hosted, enabling them to take appropriate action to protect their users and networks. Meta has taken significant steps to combat the threat posed by malware strains posing as ChatGPT and similar tools.

    Cybercriminals are also using other websites such as LinkedIn, Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox to deceive people. Meta has taken action against nine groups worldwide who are attempting to influence people secretly and steal information.

    Meta advises people to be cautious and ensure that the things they download are safe. They recommend that people only download things from trusted sources.

  • Indian call centre scammers looted $10 billion from Americans in 2021

    Indian call centre scammers looted $10 billion from Americans in 2021

    According to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data, US citizens lost more than $10 billion in 2022 as a result of phishing calls made by illegal Indian call centres.

    The Times Of India stated citing FBI data that the majority of the victims of these fraud calls from Indian phishing gangs were senior US nationals over the age of 60 who lost more than $3 billion.

    The FBI has now sent a permanent representative to the US embassy in New Delhi following many incidences that were reported in 2022. To bust these gangs that have threatened to make India the hub of such illegal call centres, the representative will work closely with the CBI, Interpol, and the Delhi Police.

    So far in 2022, Americans have lost a total of $10.2 billion to such hoax calls, a 47 per cent increase over the $6.9 billion lost in 2021.

    Suhel Daud, the FBI’s South Asia director, told the publication that “romance-related” scams totaled INR 8,000 crore (PKR 217.7 billion) in 2021 and INR 8,000 crore (PKR 217.7 billion) in the final 11 months of 2022. Losses from “tech support” fraud have topped $3 billion in the last two years, with $347 million in 2021 and $781 million in 2022 so far.

    “It may not be a national security concern yet, but the reputation (of a country) is involved, and we don’t want India to suffer on that count,” Daud told the publication.

    He also stated that the FBI received 850,000 complaints regarding cyber crimes in 2021 and over 780,000 lakh complaints so far in 2022. Investment-related cybercrime ($3 billion), corporate email compromise ($2.4 billion), personal data breach ($1.2 billion), romance ($1 billion), and tech support ($781 million) were among the concerns.