Fake dating apps, gifts too good to be true, romantic trips with surprises. These are the baits used by cybercriminals to exploit the Valentine’s Day to hit and claim victims, especially with phishing. This is the alarm that various security companies are launching in view of February 14, an anniversary in which online traffic increases and perhaps the willingness to lower privacy.
Cybercriminals pose as women looking for partners
According to Kaspersky, in addition to imitating the most popular dating apps – usage of which has increased widely over the past two years, with Tinder reaching a record three billion views in a single day in March 2020, while OkCupid scores 91 million. dating every year – cybercriminals have been spreading emails several days ago posing as women looking for a partner. The scam involves sending a message containing a direct link to a phishing page that mimics a dating website and asks the victim to complete a form indicating their preferences. Finally, the user is asked to enter their banking credentials. It goes without saying that, in the end, the victim loses data, money and the opportunity to meet new people.
Beware of emails, they hide the scam
The maneuvers of cybercriminals begin well before February 14. According to Check Point Software Technologies, as early as January 6% of new Valentine’s Day Internet addresses were considered dangerous, 55% suspected. This tactic (spoofing, phasing) is widely used by cybercrime to exploit the excitement produced by specific holidays or events, such as Black Friday. One in every 371 malicious emails detected by the security company has been traced to the theme of the party of lovers, while a phishing scam takes advantage of the The Millions Roses brand, which sends flowers and gifts to the door. Bitdefender, on the other hand, has detected spam campaigns that have increased sevenfold since February 6, particularly related to the lure of a romantic vacation. For the security company, the United States ranks first for the number of Valentine-themed spam emails received between January 28 and February 7, attracting 54% of the world’s spam volume.
Be wary of too good offers
Experts suggest some precautions to protect oneself. For example, beware of those “too good to be true” gift offers, make sure you are on a retailer’s official website, be wary of password change emails and those that have too many language errors. They also recommend not linking your dating app profile to any social media profile as well as sharing your mobile number or other messaging contacts. But they also suggest, if you browse these apps, not to download any other apps that pop up or visit sites that might be phishing pages. Finally, be wary of bots, that is, automated responses that could steal money or personal data.
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