Risk, Fraud & Security
New Zealand SMS Blaster Smishing Fraud Had Chinese Connections
A young man that impersonated leading banks by driving an SMS blaster around Auckland was given a light sentence because the judge thought he had hurt his chances of renewing his student visa.
‘We Are Just Here for Work’: Indian Scammer Explains Why He Moved to Laos
The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone is the equivalent of Las Vegas during its Mafia era. It provides a safe haven for scam compounds alongside gambling and prostitution rackets.
Amateur Sleuths Plot Route of Tokyo SMS Blaster and Other News about Fake Base Stations
We might need to start doing a regular global round-up of news involving crimes and fake base stations.
How Scammers Insert Phone Numbers into the URLs of Genuine Websites
A simple trick has inserted bogus support numbers into URLs that people will see in their web browsers when visiting the real websites of Netflix, Microsoft and Apple.
Chinese Tourist Caught Driving Smishing SMS Blaster around Oman
The Royal Oman Police shared the news of the arrest with a slickly-produced video that warns the public about clicking links in SMS messages.
How Phone Scammers Use Fear and Intimidation to Manipulate Victims
Cases from Nigeria and South Korea illustrate how criminals exploit the same human anxieties worldwide.
SK Telecom Gives 50% Discount to Stem Exodus of Customers Following HSS Data Breach
CEO Yoo Young-sang announced a KRW500bn (USD370mn) customer giveaway alongside a KRW700bn (USD510mn) plan to invest in security.
INTERPOL Warns of Scam Compounds Spreading to Middle East, West Africa and Central America
The people forced to work in scam compounds have been trafficked from 66 different countries and from every continent.
SMS Blaster Smishing Arrests in the UK, Qatar and Indonesia
You may have seen some of this news already. You almost certainly missed some of the other news. And have any detectives noticed a distinctively-colored connection?
Karsten Nohl Wants More White Hat Hacking of SS7 Firewalls
The security expert says the GSMA should introduce a vetting scheme for "Interconnect Security Assurance" providers
Follow the Money: Scam Gang Moved US Money to Cambodian Compounds via Bahaman Bank
We need comprehensive joined-up strategies to tackle international scams, not just piecemeal controls.
New Danish Content Filter Blocks 3.8mn SMS Messages in First Quarter
In separate news, a Danish smishing fraudster was extradited from Australia and given a 42-month prison sentence for stealing DKK7.9mn (USD1.2mn)
The Commsrisk Global Fraud Dashboard
Our Global Fraud Dashboard uses AI-powered search to collate, update and visualize data about scams and other network abuses from around the world. New charts are added each month. See it here.
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