Cybercriminals are using a new strategy, posing as official government websites, to extort personal and financial data.
The scammers are sending text messages with information about the alleged need to update personal data, threatening a manipulation penalty for failure to do so.
These messages are not traditional SMS messages, but RCS messages – an extended mobile communication standard that allows sending text and multimedia messages with additional functions – explains Karolina Kowalska from CyberRescue in an interview with telepolis.pl.
These messages contain a link that supposedly leads to a government website. In reality, however, the link redirects to a fake website that looks almost identical to the official website.
On the fake website, a form appears to extract personal data and payment card information. If these data are provided, the account can be cleared by thieves, who can even take out a loan based on these data.
To avoid such situations, it is recommended to be extremely cautious. Any request to update data should arouse suspicion. Do not click on links sent in messages or provide personal data on pages about which you have doubts.
An effective solution may be to block the phone number from which the SMS came, to avoid further messages in the future.
