Blockade of financial virtual scams increased by 100% in February

A study published by cybersecurity company PSafe found that February saw a 100 percent increase in virtual financial fraud attempts in Brazil compared to the previous month. Despite being the shortest month of the year, with 28 days, February was over a million blocks this type of attack. This number is 100% higher than in January, when just over 510,000 attempts were registered.

Caught in a phishing network!

“In the month of February, we recorded a corresponding average of almost 36,000 blocks per day and 25 financial fraud attempts per second in Brazil. The number is also impressive because compared to February 2021, it was the same growth, 100%, when about 529 thousand blocks were registered,” says Emilio Simoni, CEO of PSafe.

In 2021 banking phishing was the third major theme most studied cybercriminals in beats phishing in Brazil more than 4.5 million detectionsright after Generic phishing and fake rewards.

“One of the reasons for this growth may be that we have noticed an increase phishing offer of thematic PIXsuch as carnival, and also because of Amounts Receivable, from the Central Bank. By the first half of March, we had already identified more than 20 sites using the Valores a Receivable name for fraudulent activities, one of which, according to our forecast, would have already claimed more than 664,000 victims *, emphasizes Emilio Simoni.

Screenshot of a website using “forgotten money” scam, maximum in February. Source: Reproduction/PSafe.

What is bank phishing?

Bank fraud reports are usually spread through messaging apps, SMS, social media or email. They can contain several messages: a high limit credit card offer, a PIX refund, a false bank registration update, a fake e-commerce site that steals data (including credit card details), and others.

Since these are fake sites used mainly for data theft, the victim does not realize that he immediately fell for the bait, and even worse: he begins to inadvertently spread a fraudulent message. Therefore, it will only be implemented when cybercriminal use your details, such as credit card details, to make banking transactions, and the purchase does not come. This can take months, so prevention is the only way to avoid becoming another victim.

Screenshot of bank phishing sent via SMS. Source: Reproduction/PSafe.

prevention tips

• First and foremost: install a cybersecurity solution on your device;
• Be suspicious of any messages offering any benefits or rewards, including PIX refunds;
• Stay up to date with any various banking transactions;
• Change your passwords often;
• When making purchases, choose virtual credit cards whenever possible, as they are easier to cancel;
• If the bank allows it, adjust the credit card limit by a smaller amount;
• Before clicking on any link, look for the official channels of the companies.

*The forecast is based on the number of androids in the country, which will be 131.1 million people, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

Whatsapp scam: Nubank Pix promise being circulated is a scam
Learn more about the scam reported on WhatsApp.

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