People have been warned that a ‘phantom hacker’ is targeting Apple, Android and Windows devices.
Scammers have a new trick up their sleeves – impersonating your bank or even a government official to get you to download dodgy apps.
In what intelligence officials say is a ‘rapidly growing’ scam, these mobile phone apps and computer software let hackers, well, hack your finances.
One victim lost $20,000, or about £16,400.
The financial scam almost always plays out the same way, according to the FBI.
The victim will first receive a call, text, email or a pop-up on their computer from a ‘tech supporter imposter’ asking the victim to phone a number for ‘assistance’.
‘Scammers impersonate bank reps to convince victims that hackers have infiltrated their financial account,’ the FBI says.
‘Victims are urged to move their money fast to protect their assets. In reality, there was never a hacker, and the money that was wired is now fully controlled by the scammer.’
The con artist on the other end of the line will typically tell you that your bank accounts have been ‘hacked’ (no irony there).
These fake reps will give you next to no time to think as they urge you to download crooked applications that allow them to remotely access your computer.
‘The scammer pretends to run a virus scan on the victim’s computer and falsely claims the victim’s computer either has been or is at risk of being hacked,’ the FBI says.
‘Next, the scammer requests the victim open their financial accounts to determine whether there have been any unauthorized charges – a tactic to allow the scammer to determine which financial account is most lucrative for targeting.
‘The scammer informs the victim they will receive a call from that financial institution’s fraud department with further instructions.’
The second step of the hustle involves a scammer posing once again as a representative of a bank or broker, urging you to transfer your money to a ‘safe’ third-party account.
As the bureau says: ‘The victim is directed to transfer money via a wire transfer, cash, or wire conversion to cryptocurrency, often directly to overseas recipients.
‘The victim is also told not to inform anyone of the real reason they are moving their money. The scammer may instruct the victim to send multiple transactions over a span of days or months.’
Finally, the victim will be contacted a third time by a trickster masquerading as a government employee, such as from the Federal Reserve. They – once again – call on you to send even more money to a ‘safe’ account.
‘Victims often suffer the loss of entire banking, savings, retirement, and investment accounts under the guise of “protecting” their assets,’ the FBI adds.
Tips on how to stay safe – and what to do if you fall victim to a scam
- Do not click on unsolicited pop-ups, links sent via text messages, email links, or attachments.
- Do not contact the telephone number provided in a pop-up, text, or email.
- Do not download software at the request of an unknown individual who contacted you. • Do not allow an unknown individual who contacted you to have control of your computer.
- The US Government will never request you send money to them via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift/prepaid cards. Reporting Suspected Fraud The FBI requests victims report these fraudulent or suspicious activities to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at http://www.ic3.gov. Be sure to include as much information as possible, such as:
- The name of the person or company that contacted you.
- Methods of communication used, include websites, emails, and telephone numbers.
- The bank account number where the funds were wired to and the recipient’s name(s)
Bureau officials stress that legitimate banks never ask you to move your money elsewhere.
Milan Jackson, a hairstylist from Chicago, sent scammers tens of thousands of dollars, she told ABC7.
One of the fraudsters phoned her pretending to be from Bank of America and, after some smooth-talking, got her to wire them $20,000.
Milan said: ‘My anxiety is going up and he’s like: “Okay we only have this amount of time. I want to make sure we block this and prevent this from happening to you.”‘
But after phoning her bank, Milan realised she had just been duped. ‘I’m hysterically crying,’ she said.
Milan hoped to use that money to open her own salon.
‘I can’t believe this is my life,’ she said. ‘How did this happen, and how am I going to get this money back?’
Some tech giants have rolled out new safety features for users in light of this ‘phantom hacker’ lurking around.
Google’s latest Android OS update now lets users use an AI bot to listen in on calls and flag when it suspects they are scams, Android Authority reported.
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