Phishing emails with attached malware are common fraud stitches on the Internet. A current case documents the auditors’ audacity.
- Internet fraud: Always new strategies for data theft and extortion methods
- Internet fraud: Criminals pretend to be BKA employees
- Internet fraud: Installed ransomware leads to ransom demands
- Internet fraud: Internet users should never answer on phishing emails
- Internet fraud: Consumers can protect themselves
NRW-first the fright, then the fear and in the end a panic, careless click. Fraud emails are currently circulating through the Internet that contain alleged lectures at the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). A click on an attached attachment can have fatal consequences (more warnings on Internet fraud).
Internet fraud: Always new strategies for data theft and extortion methods
Phishing emails and ransomware are a real danger to internet users. Working in the home office in particular increases the risk of cyber and phishing attacks, because according to the TÜV association, IT security is often not sufficiently guaranteed.
Fraudsters keep thinking new methods to get their victims’ data and even blackmail them. The current fraud mesh via WhatsApp, in which accounts are taken over by the fraudsters, is only one of many examples of this.
Internet fraud: Criminals pretend to be BKA employees
Criminals seem to be more and more brazen in cyber fraud, the inhibition threshold is getting lower. The current method, in which unsuspecting internet users receive emails with the sender General Secretary of the Federal Criminal Police Office, is an impressive evidence of this.
The supposed summons contained therein on the BKA and the request to contact the authority as soon as possible should put the victim in fear, the fraudsters want to prevent rational and prudent thinking. The criminals want nothing more than a thoughtful click on the attached PDF file or an answer to the mail.
Internet fraud: Installed ransomware leads to ransom demands
Because then the trap grabs, as recently with a cyber attack in Bochum. As the real BKA explains on its homepage, the appendix can contain malware, which infect the used device, that is, the cell phone, tablet or the laptop. That would be the basis for committing further crimes.
A popular example of such fraud is the dispatch of so-called ransomware. With the help of this file, which can be available according to a blog entry on emisoft in countless formats (…), for example as a ZIP archive, PDF, Word document or Excel table, the attackers encrypt the victim’s system and files. Then a ransom is required to release the data.
Internet fraud: Internet users should never answer on phishing emails
The BKA also urgently advises against an answer to the alleged summons! **** once turned to the sender of the fraud email, your data for the inspection of further crimes could be spied on, explains the authority.
Such emails are often disguised behind an important and well-known authority as a supposed sender. It was not until December 2021 that fraudsters had output themselves as BKA President Holger Münch and sent fraud emails on its name.
Internet fraud: Consumers can protect themselves
Whether against malware that can make consumers blackmailed or data theft-internet users can protect themselves! First of all, according to its own statement, the BKA would send never emails from accounts from private email providers.
The links or attachments contained in such emails should never be clicked, instead emails should be ignored and not answered by unknown senders for their own safety. If consumers are once the victim of a phishing and malware attack, the BKA recommends advertisement to the responsible police.
The Mimikama page informs about currently circulating fraud on the Internet and how you can generally better protect yourself on the World Wide Web.
Rubric list picture: © photographer unknown/AFotostock/Imago
