“Scammers are currently using fraudulent advertising or fake winning notifications on Meta Messenger. Recipients are supposed to click on a link that supposedly leads to the social network TikTok, but is redirected,” said ESET boss Jiri Kropac in a security warning from his company. ESET is an antivirus provider that also regularly provides information about current scams on its website.
Fraudsters recognize the operating system and redirect to suitable fake apps
According to ESET, the new scam in Meta Messenger is internationally widespread, with cases of alleged profits occurring in particular in Germany. “Users are supposed to enter personal data here, which then leads to an expensive SMS subscription,” says Kropac. According to the ESET security warning, the scam is particularly nasty because users receive the phishing messages in their real chats with real contacts – here they are less attentive than with spam mails and fall into the trap more quickly. If users receive the phishing link to a supposed TikTok content, a game or a dating app from the scammers in this way, they do not necessarily think about checking the message for spelling and grammatical errors or even checking the link.
The current phishing scam in Meta Messenger is also difficult to uncover, since the scammers would see which operating system is being used when they click on the link. They would then automatically guide the scam victims to download the appropriate app version (iOS, macOS, Android or Windows) that you should download in order to see the supposed content. The scammers would also apparently track the location of each fraud victim and send them phishing messages in the local language.
Best protection against the scam: ask the contact
Regardless of the content of the phishing message, the victims of the scam should always provide their bank details at the end in order to be able to view the content supposedly sent by a real contact. At the same time, the scammers spread further phishing messages to the contacts from their friend lists in the chats of the victims who have already been successfully tricked.
ESET therefore recommends that Meta Messenger users first always ask the sender of a link whether the message is genuine. Although this can be time-consuming, it is the surest way to avoid the scam. You should also download an anti-virus program if possible. T-Online also points out that the consumer protection centers regularly publish warnings about phishing attempts. Before you delete the phishing message from the chats in Meta Messenger, it can therefore make sense to take a screenshot and send it to the consumer advice centers.
Olga Rogler / Editor finanzen.net
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