Online scams are becoming more prevalent on popular apps and websites, according to a new survey report by Kaspersky. The report found that 42% of users have encountered scams on online dating apps, 38% on Facebook, and 18% on online sports sites. Overall, 29% of users have fallen victim to some type of scam on these platforms. The survey, which involved 2,000 North American adults, also revealed that phishing attacks grew by 40% in 2023. The findings highlight the need for new privacy regulations and better digital security habits. [4736da45]
In addition to the increasing prevalence of scams, online criminals are targeting customers of Booking.com by stealing login credentials and pretending to be hotel staff. They approach hotel guests and ask them to pay bogus fees, redirecting them to spoofed websites or taking credit card details over the phone. Booking.com is aware of the cyber-attacks and is educating hotel staff on identifying fraudulent tactics. They encourage the use of multifactor authentication and advise customers to contact Booking.com or the partner hotel to confirm payment requests. The attacks have targeted partner hotels and customers worldwide, including the US, UK, Asia, and Europe. Users are advised to use antivirus software and avoid sharing payment info over the phone or messaging apps. [d128da66]
Scammers are also using Google Calendar to deceive users. They send pop-up notifications inviting users to claim a cash reward in exchange for completing a short survey. The default settings of the Calendar app allow anyone to send calendar invites, making it possible for scammers to add events to users' calendars. Clicking on the pop-up notification takes users to a scam site where they may be asked to make a payment and reveal personal information. To protect themselves, users should go into the Google Calendar settings and opt to only show invitations to which they have responded. They should also stay up to date with the latest scams and avoid entering personal data online if unsure of the requester. [66c3e060]
In addition to the cyber-attacks and Google Calendar scams, a new study by tech retailer Currys found that Evri is the favorite brand scammers use to target victims, with 39,978 searches for 'evri scam email' in the UK over the past year. Searches for Evri scam emails have increased by 823% in the past 12 months. PayPal is the second most used brand by scammers, with 28,900 searches for 'paypal scam email' over 12 months, although the monthly search volume has decreased by 19% in the past year. Amazon is the third most searched brand in relation to scam emails, with 14,000 annual searches for 'amazon scam email'. The study also found that AI assistants incorrectly identified 10% of scam and legitimate emails, with Perplexity performing better than Chat GPT 4. The National Cyber Security Centre warns that AI will likely increase the volume and impact of cyber attacks in the next two years. The article also provides seven tips for identifying phishing attempts. [bc04f9a3] [9be598e7]