The surge in the amount of online shopping, combined with the increasing use of social networks, caused a significant increase in malicious phenomena such as phishing and sting attempts.
Yesterday (Saturday) was International Privacy Protection Day, which brought us to check how to deal with the sophisticated attempts that throw away many good ones.
Yonatan Ben Horin, director of the Safe Internet Helpline of the Israel Internet Association, tells about the many scams in the field: "The cyber system identified the five parties that have the most phishing messages, which include the Israel Post and the Electric Company. The fraud includes a message that is received stating that there is a debt to the Electric Company , for example, and when you click on the link you end up in hostile hands. On top of that, it's about impersonating shipping companies, banks, and even National Insurance, with a domain that looks similar."
The Israel Post states that the first thing to check in these cases is whether the message is worded in a strange or clumsy way, and if the address in the link leads to the Israel Post website or to an unknown address.
The Electric Company said: "The repeated attempts to disguise ourselves, and in the name of various organizations to defraud our customers, have become part of our daily routine. The Electric Company works to thwart this activity through various means, including proactive ones, including sending messages regarding the caution required of all customers and how they can avoid falling into the trap Messages sent on behalf of the Electric Company can be verified because they contain the consumer's contract number, while the customer is not asked to provide bank account or credit card details."
Yonatan Ben Horin, photo: Photoshot company
No free gifts
Another significant scam is called "second hand sting".
"The people who are being targeted are the ones who publish their phone number on the Yad2 website," explains Ben Horin, "They receive an inquiry on WhatsApp privately and persuade them to make a sale. They are sent a link of an alleged Yad2 and claim that there is a Yad2 service through which the money is transferred. The seller enters the credit information his, and the attacker steals the details and disconnects the connection. It doesn't have to be a second-hand site, of course, but any site for selling second-hand items."
The Yad2 site stated: "The Yad2 site is a free board, which serves as a platform for contacting sellers and buyers, and is not a party to the transaction at any stage. We acted in a variety of ways to draw the attention of buyers and sellers to this type of fraud. We recommend that you carefully examine the details of the transaction, check the products offered to them and to avoid payment in advance. In the case in question, we make it clear that there is no possibility of payment services between sellers and buyers on our website."
Ben Horin points out that you should also be suspicious of sites that sell suspiciously cheap brands: "If you discovered a site that offers cheap Nike or Adidas shoes, sometimes a little inspection can show that it was established a few days ago and that it has no reputation. Run in the search bar of a site like website.informer .com the name of the requested site, and you get all the details about the people behind it and the year of establishment.
"In addition to that, there is also the gift sting, which includes messages on WhatsApp according to which you allegedly receive gifts from chains such as Shufersal, Rami Levy and more. You have to remember that there are no free gifts, and if it is too good to be true, it is not. It is recommended not to save credit information on websites ".
Alex Steinberg // Photo: Moshik Brin
"There are many falls"
According to Alex Steinberg, product manager of the information security company ESET Israel, there are other scams that guarantee winnings: "Sometimes when playing on a mobile phone, you click and discover that you have won something desirable like an iPhone, and all that remains is to pay NIS 7.22 to receive it. How do you collect the payment? Through credit sent to the fraudsters Or to the attackers. We want to think that we are innocent and that they will not work on us, but unfortunately there are many falls and frauds. Those who have experienced fraud should contact the credit company. In many cases there is a full or partial refund, but in the end it is recommended to be responsible for ourselves."
How can you be sure that the site is reliable and that you can leave credit information there?
Steinberg answers: "We have to make sure that the site we're buying from is secure, with a lock symbol. The lock should be in the address bar, and not a picture of a lock icon on the site itself. It's always a good idea to make sure that the phone's operating system and apps are up to date. The updates fix many security holes and malfunctions.
"Another important tip is not to use public Wi-Fi networks when making a purchase. There are other people on such a network, and with a little technical knowledge they can access our information. When there are several devices on the same network, they communicate with each other, and thus you can discover passwords, see what is being typed, and more If we make a purchase with PayPal, nothing will go into effect, so I recommend switching to PayPal as much as possible."
Yoni Regev, photo: Tami Bar Shai
According to Yoni Regev, Vice President of Risk Management at Ishrachart, there is a consistent increase in the number of phishing attacks and their sophistication: "The attackers try to impersonate legitimate parties and create a sense of panic through alerts about events such as account blocking, attempted theft, debt that will lead to foreclosures, and more, in an attempt to get customers to hand over the The one-time code used to perform secure transactions or associate the card with the digital payment wallets.
"In the event that the credit card was used fraudulently, contact the credit card company immediately. It is very important not to give the card details to anyone. If you do, you cannot receive a credit or refund."
Regev adds that it is mandatory to follow the monthly charges on the monthly detail page, on the website or in the online application.
On top of that, you can join the service of receiving a text message for transactions over a certain amount, and receive an immediate update on any transaction or charge to the credit card.
The Israel Police stated: "The police are working to locate cases with identical characteristics in order to assign them to the relevant investigative units, such as online crime units or the cyber unit.
"The intense activity of the police shows that as the incidents are detected, they are treated thoroughly and professionally which even leads to the arrest of suspects and the cessation of the incidents. The Israel Police calls on the public not to provide identifying, personal or payment method details when the request is from an unsafe and reliable source."
Hacker (illustration), photo: Reuters
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