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The FBI explains how the "Phantom Hacker" scheme works, and who is at risk in the first place.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation warns citizens about a sharp increase in the number of scammers operating under the "Phantom Hacker" scheme. Older people are particularly at risk. The new tactic combines several fraudulent schemes, including forgery of the identity of technical support employees, financial institutions, and government organizations.
From January to June 2023, the FBI received 19,000 complaints about such campaigns. The total damage is estimated at $542 million. Almost half of the victims were people over the age of 60, and their losses accounted for 66% of the total.
First, the fraudster pretends to be a technical support representative of a well-known company. A potential victim can be contacted in various ways: by phone, sms, email, or via a pop-up notification in the browser window, offering to click on the link or call the specified number. The user is persuaded to install a remote access program, ostensibly to diagnose the computer for threats. The hacker then claims that viruses or traces of hacking have been detected on the device.
To "detect" unauthorized financial transactions, the victim is asked to log in to an online banking account. In this way, attackers check which of the accounts is most suitable for further fraud.
Then a new "character" comes into play: it is represented by an employee of the bank or other financial institution where the user has an account. He once again says that the bank account and computer were hacked, and suggests transferring money to a "safe" reserve, for example, to the "Federal" one.
Often, funds are sent directly to foreign accounts. Sometimes the translation is suggested to be divided into several days or even months. However, the true purpose of the transaction is requested not to be disclosed.
If the victim becomes suspicious, the perpetrators make another move: they send a letter that looks like an official document from a government organization. It seems to confirm that moving funds is the only way to protect them.
The FBI provides the following tips on how to avoid being hooked by criminals:
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation warns citizens about a sharp increase in the number of scammers operating under the "Phantom Hacker" scheme. Older people are particularly at risk. The new tactic combines several fraudulent schemes, including forgery of the identity of technical support employees, financial institutions, and government organizations.
From January to June 2023, the FBI received 19,000 complaints about such campaigns. The total damage is estimated at $542 million. Almost half of the victims were people over the age of 60, and their losses accounted for 66% of the total.
First, the fraudster pretends to be a technical support representative of a well-known company. A potential victim can be contacted in various ways: by phone, sms, email, or via a pop-up notification in the browser window, offering to click on the link or call the specified number. The user is persuaded to install a remote access program, ostensibly to diagnose the computer for threats. The hacker then claims that viruses or traces of hacking have been detected on the device.
To "detect" unauthorized financial transactions, the victim is asked to log in to an online banking account. In this way, attackers check which of the accounts is most suitable for further fraud.
Then a new "character" comes into play: it is represented by an employee of the bank or other financial institution where the user has an account. He once again says that the bank account and computer were hacked, and suggests transferring money to a "safe" reserve, for example, to the "Federal" one.
Often, funds are sent directly to foreign accounts. Sometimes the translation is suggested to be divided into several days or even months. However, the true purpose of the transaction is requested not to be disclosed.
If the victim becomes suspicious, the perpetrators make another move: they send a letter that looks like an official document from a government organization. It seems to confirm that moving funds is the only way to protect them.
The FBI provides the following tips on how to avoid being hooked by criminals:
- Don't open pop-up windows or click on links from unknown sources.
- Don't call numbers from suspicious messages.
- Do not install programs at the request of strangers.
- Do not grant remote access to your computer to unknown persons.
