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Be careful, your bank accounts could be in danger without you knowing it. A new scam, in full expansion, attacks the sensitive data of the French.
With ever more refined methodsscammers manage to fool even the most cautious people. However, this leads to significant financial losses for their victims. Faced with this scourge, French Banking Federation then sounds the alarm to protect users.
Drastic consequences for bank accounts
Bank accounts occupy a central place in our daily lives. Not only do they house our savings, but they also facilitate payments. In addition, they are there for money transfers and receiving salaries.
Their role has become essential, both in the management of our personal finances as well as in our professional transactions. However, this omnipresence of bank accounts makes them a prime target for scammers. More and more fraudsters are exploiting sophisticated methods to hack them.
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Recently, authorities revealed a new fraud targeting bank accounts. And the magnitude of the threat is extremely worrying. Its consequences could be drastic if users do not remain careful.
A very sophisticated scam targeting bank accounts
A new scam targeting bank accounts is worrying the authorities, and it should not be taken lightly. His main tool? A malware, known as DroiBotwhich perfectly imitates a legitimate application. This sophisticated approach makes it difficult for users to identify fraud, especially for those less familiar with the technology.
Spotted in October by the cybersecurity company CleafyDroiBot quickly became a serious threat. Indeed, this malware, comparable to a system « Malware-as-a-Service »allows crooks to carry out large-scale attacks. One of its specificities is its ability to compromise sensitive banking information, such as usernames and passwords.
The consequences for victims can be serious. This malware gives cybercriminals direct access to bank accountsthus facilitating fraudulent transactions. In the blink of an eye, accounts can be empty.
Users, you are the targets!
This bank account scam does not affect bank applications or computer systems, but the users themselves. According to the FBF, this threat is aimed at users who unknowingly download a malicious program. Instead of installing updates or reliable applications, they find themselves faced with insidious malware.
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In a December 7 press release cited by The Echoesthe FBF explained: “This is not a cyberattack against French banks or their applications, but a ‘malware’ that is installed by users on their phones without any connection to a bank».
Secure your bank accounts
This program already targets 77 financial institutionsincluding banks and cryptocurrency platforms. And this threat targeting bank accounts goes beyond borders. Indeed, it also affects the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Portugal. This means that no matter where you are, you can become a victim at any time.
So, to avoid falling into the trap of bank account scams, it is essential to adopt good reflexes. The first is to download applications or updates from the reliable sources like PlayStore or AppStore.
Never opening suspicious email attachments could also save you a lot of hassle. Finally, make it a habit to check the permissions requested by an application before installing itin order to limit the risks.