Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Robocall Scam is back, to the tune of $40M

In Other News:
Robocall Scam is back, to the tune of $40M
Ever dropped everything you were doing to take a call, only to receive an automated message in a foreign language? You certainly are not alone.
Most of us likely hung up without thinking twice (and without understanding a word that was said). However, a recent slew of Mandarin-based calls has been targeting Chinese Americans, attempting to trick them into thinking that they are in legal trouble with the Chinese government. On Thursday, the FBI revealed it had received more than 350 complaints from victims of the scam, with aggregated losses reaching over $40 million. Dubbed the “Chinese Embassy Scam,” it has amounted to average losses upwards of $164,000 per victim.
Some of us may be wondering how such a scam could be so effective, but it all comes back to the concept of relevance, originality, and impact. By speaking in a familiar language and using phone spoofing to change caller ID tags, cyber criminals can defraud virtually anyone. To fight fire with fire, companies must invest in advanced cybersecurity solutions that are specifically designed to thwart phishing campaigns (like BullPhish ID!)

No comments:

Post a Comment