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Fraud SMS on smartphones: Android users in particular should be careful
Photo: Wolf von Dewitz / picture alliance / dpa
Several thousand German customers from all major cell phone providers are currently victims of dangerous spam SMS every day.
Deutsche Telekom alone records an average of 7,000 to 8,000 customers a day who click on links contained in such text messages and infect their phones with malware.
The numbers come from analyzes by the company's IT security experts, as a Telekom spokesman explained on request.
The experts also observe that attackers have been trying more and more to spread the spam messages via messengers such as WhatsApp or Telegram in recent days. Often the text messages pretend to come from parcel deliverers. Instead of information about a delivery status, the links lead users to hijacked websites where Android device users are asked to download a dangerous app. This hijacks the device so that it sends spam SMS itself.
The websites automatically detect whether the victims are using an Android smartphone and only ask for the malicious software to be installed if that is the case.
The attackers also often try to persuade those affected to reveal personal data in order to misuse it for further attacks such as credit card fraud.
This scam can also be dangerous for iOS users.
The leak full of Facebook data exacerbates the situation
"The perpetrators adapt their attacks to the lifestyle of customers in Germany," explains a Telekom spokesman.
Among other things, they were guided by when their target group is online and likely to respond to short messages.
According to Telekom security analysts, botnets known as MoqHao and Flubot are behind the attacks.
A four-digit number of customers was also affected in the Vodafone network last month, the company said on request.
Telefónica (O2) speaks of a low five-digit number in the period.
You are working with law enforcement agencies to identify the perpetrators, a spokesman said.
Police authorities last warned of the fraudulent messages after it became known that the phone numbers of millions of Facebook users were circulating on the network.
"Since the Facebook leak became known on Easter weekend, we have seen that the phishing text messages often contain a personal address," said a Vodafone spokeswoman.
It is true that SMS spam campaigns have been observed for a long time, but the leak increases the risk that those affected will not question the credibility of this SMS and click on the link.