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Beware of this new scam based on disposable phone numbers

Scammers are not lacking in ingenuity to scam their victims. This time they’re going after ephemeral phone numbers, which usually prevent spam and scam calls.

They are very practical, these disposable phone numbers that are created to activate an online service. Not only can they serve as a second factor of authentication, but above all they avoid giving your real number… The latter is therefore not found in the databases of scammers who contact their victims directly to offer them fake training accounts and other phone scams.

Create fraudulent accounts

Ingenious hackers have however found a fraudulent use of these disposable numbers, according to Trend Micro which is sounding the alarm. Security specialists have identified a campaign stealing these numbers via a botnet that scours the depths of the internet for this information. Once in possession of this data, it is possible to create fake accounts on social networks, for example to spread false information.

But that’s not all. Trend Micro has also pinpointed malware, dubbed Guerrilla, which analyzes second-factor identification SMS received on entry-level smartphones. The malware confirms the connection without the intervention of the user, who sees nothing but fire. These Android devices are branded ZTE, Huawei or OPPO. More worrying, the malware would have been installed during the manufacture of smartphones!

The malware remains discreet “, details Trend Micro, it only collects text messages that correspond to a requested application, so that it can continue ” secretly » his activity for long periods of time. There are infections in Indonesia, Thailand, Russia… and France. France is also the most targeted, with more than 5,500 infections recorded. These are thus thousands of disposable numbers that are in the possession of these pirates, all around the world.

This story is a reminder once again that it is better to avoid the second identification by SMS, and to favor the use of dedicated applications like Google Authenticator.

Bitdefender Plus Antivirus
Bitdefender Plus Antivirus

By: Bitdefender

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