Scammers hijack websites of popular brands to insert fake phone number


Cybercriminals frequently use fake search engine listings to take advantage of our trust in popular brands, and then scam us. It often starts, as with so many attacks, with a sponsored search result on Google.

In the latest example of this type of scam, we found tech support scammers hijacking the results of people looking for 24/7 support for Apple, Bank of America, Facebook, HP, Microsoft, Netflix, and PayPal. Here’s how it works: Cybercriminals pay for a sponsored ad on Google pretending to be a major brand. Often, this ad leads people to a fake website. However, in the cases we recently found, the visitor is taken to the legitimate site with a small difference.

Read more…
Source: Malwarebytes Labz


Sign up for our Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox.


Related:

  • Cloudflare report highlights devastating DDoS attacks on VoIP services and several ‘record-setting HTTP attacks’

    November 5, 2021

    Cloudflare released its Q3 DDoS Attack Trends report this week, capping a record-setting quarter that saw a number of devastating attacks on VoIP services. Cloudflare researchers said they saw the several “record-setting HTTP DDoS attacks, terabit-strong network-layer attacks and one of the largest botnets ever deployed (Meris),” noting the emergence of ransom DDoS attacks on voice ...

  • Lockean multi-RaaS affiliate linked to attacks against French businesses

    November 4, 2021

    Details about the tools and tactics used by a ransomware affiliate group, now tracked as Lockean, have emerged today in a report from France’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). Over the past year and a half, the threat actor has compromised the networks of at least eight French companies, stealing data and deploying malware from multiple ...

  • Mobile phishing attacks targeting energy sector surge by 161%

    November 3, 2021

    Mobile phishing attacks targeting employees in the energy industry have risen by 161% compared to last year’s (H2 2020) data, and the trend is showing no signs of slowing down. Although the perils of outdated and vulnerable devices plague all sectors, a new report by cybersecurity firm Lookout indicates that energy is the most targeted, followed ...

  • BlackMatter ransomware gang says it’s disbanding – again – after Ukraine arrests

    November 3, 2021

    A member of the BlackMatter (aka Darkside) ransomware gang has publicly claimed the extortionists are shutting down, causing much excitement within the infosec world. A Russian-language message reportedly posted on a forum used by ransomware criminals is said to have announced BlackMatter’s second disappearance of 2021, the gang previously pulling a disappearing act under their former ...

  • ‘Tortilla’ Wraps Exchange Servers in ProxyShell Attacks

    November 3, 2021

    A new-ish threat actor sometimes known as “Tortilla” is launching a fresh round of ProxyShell attacks on Microsoft Exchange servers, this time with the aim of inflicting vulnerable servers with variants of the Babuk ransomware. Cisco Talos researchers said in a Wednesday report that they spotted the malicious campaign a few weeks ago, on Oct. 12. Tortilla, ...

  • Arrests were made, but the Mekotio Trojan lives on

    November 3, 2021

    Despite the arrest of individuals connected with the spread of the Mekotio banking Trojan, the malware continues to be used in new attacks. On Wednesday, Check Point Research (CPR) published an analysis on Mekotio, a modular banking Remote Access Trojan (RAT) that targets victims in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Spain, and Peru — and is now back ...