Phones and networks are used to do a lot of bad things, but regular readers of Commsrisk will appreciate there is also a tendency to exaggerate some of the harm being done using phones and networks. Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM, Royal Malaysia Police) recently felt it necessary to disavow fraud warnings circulating social media in their name. Some fakers using the label ‘PDRM CCID’ had spread bogus alerts about SIM swaps on Whatsapp and Facebook. The real Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) responded by posting a memo (pictured) to the official PDRM accounts on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). The memo refers to the supposed threat of a new ‘SIM swap modus operandi’ before stating…
Menurut mesej tersebut, mangsa akan menerism panggilan yang kemudiannya meninta mangsa menekan butang “1”. Apabila butang tersebut ditekan, telefon milik mangsa akan digodam dan diambil alih oleh penjenayah. Seterusnya, penjenayah akan memindahkan semua wang dari akaun mangsa ke akaun lain.
According to the message, the victim will receive a call that then asks the victim to press the “1” button. When the button is pressed, the victim’s phone will be hacked and taken over by criminals. Next, the criminal will transfer all the money from the victim’s account to another account.
Made-up stories about phones being hacked as soon as the victim presses a button have circulated around other countries too. My assumption was that these were produced by idle jokers just wanting to generate attention for anything they do, even if it serves no purpose. The problem with pranks like these is that they further undermine what little can be accomplished by raising public awareness of real phone crimes.
The memo continues…
Adalah dimaklumkan, informasi tersebut adalah palsu. Jabatan ini tidak pernah membuat sebaran mesej sedemikian. Malahan, tiada sebarang laporan polis diterima berkaitan modus operandi tersebut. Bagaimanapun, sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga, semua pengguna telefon diingatkan untuk tidak menekan manamana pautan yang meragukan dan tidak menuruti sebarang arahan yang diterima melalui individu yang tidak dikenali.
Be informed, the information is false. This department has never distributed such messages. In fact, no police report was received regarding the modus operandi. However, as a precautionary measure, all phone users are reminded not to click on any dubious links and not to follow any instructions received through unknown individuals.
The remainder of the memo explains which channels are used for genuine police warnings, and discourages the spread of misinformation. You can see the official post on X below.
KENYATAAN MEDIA PENGARAH JABATAN SIASATAN JENAYAH KOMERSIL
Penafian Kewujudan Modus Operandi Penipuan “Sim Swap”.
Sumber: Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Komersil – JSJK PDRMhttps://t.co/8Uhayj550M pic.twitter.com/CVjwI2tsK2
— Polis Diraja M'sia (@PDRMsia) December 24, 2023
