All posts tagged: scams

Chinese cybercrime operation that used AI to scam ‘hundreds of thousands of victims’ sued by Google

Chinese cybercrime operation that used AI to scam ‘hundreds of thousands of victims’ sued by Google

Published by skeptic

Google is suing to dismantle the infrastructure behind an alleged massive AI-powered cybercrime operation. On Friday, the tech giant announced a lawsuit against an alleged Chinese cybercrime network called Outsider Enterprise, which Google says uses AI in its campaigns to send scam text messages impersonating Google and other brands to steal passwords and credit card numbers.  Outsider Enterprise has financially scammed “hundreds of thousands of victims” with losses “estimated in the millions.” The group deployed 9,000 fake websites, one million fraudulent web domains, and 2.5 million texts sent to Android users in a two-week period, according to Google.  The company said, “55,000 spam texts were flagged by Android users in just two weeks this past May — that’s more than two text spam complaints a minute.” Google said it uses “AI-powered tools to fight AI-powered scams,” which enable the company to detect scams and alert users of suspicious calls and text messages, leading to the interception of more than 10 billion scam messages a month.   The company said it has been collaborating with AT&T, T-Mobile, …

‘Poisoned’ AI: the ChatGPT shopping scams that lead to fake websites | Scams

‘Poisoned’ AI: the ChatGPT shopping scams that lead to fake websites | Scams

Published by Sam Flores

You want to buy a new bag and so you ask ChatGPT for help. You have always liked Russell & Bromley so you ask ChatGPT what is popular there at the moment. The artificial intelligence (AI) assistant gives you cross body, shoulder, casual and formal options with the prices listed beside them. You click through from the sources to what looks like the official Russell & Bromley site and buy your new bag, which is conveniently on sale. The item will never arrive, however. You have handed money over to a scammer and your bank details have been harvested through an elaborate fraud where fake sites are created to look convincingly like real retailers. ChatGPT search that shows a fake site as one of its sources Ask Silver, a scam-checking service, says cloned sites have been showing up in search results on ChatGPT. The ones it has seen are rip-offs of Russell & Bromley and the furnishings retailer Dunelm. Anna Jones of Ask Silver says it is possible that the large language model (LLM) that …

Android Is Fighting Phone Scams With a New Feature to Prove Who’s Calling

Android Is Fighting Phone Scams With a New Feature to Prove Who’s Calling

Published by skeptic

I’ve been covering spam calling for years, so when Google offered me details about a new Android feature built to detect and flag spoofed calls, I was ready to hear more. What I didn’t expect from the demo was to hear my own voice. “I’m so excited to be interviewing you today about this new fake-call detection feature!” I heard myself saying, while a headshot I’ve used publicly for years popped up on the demo device. The caller ID name said “Lily.” “Unfortunately, I lost my wallet and I’m stuck. Any chance you can Venmo me so I can take an Uber to the interview?” As my disembodied voice calmly made the ask, a pop-up appeared as an overlay on the regular call screen: “This may not be Lily. Someone may be pretending to call from your contact’s number.” For Android phones calling each other, the new feature does a digital validity check and flags with a pop-up warning if a call isn’t coming from your contact’s smartphone and may be a scam. When the …

How to Avoid Scams and Bad Gadgets on Amazon (2026)

How to Avoid Scams and Bad Gadgets on Amazon (2026)

Published by skeptic

You can find anything on Amazon—plus thousands of versions of that thing. If its virtual shelves were translated into a brick-and-mortar storefront, it would probably be the most overstimulating space in the world. Take power banks, for example. Search “power bank” on Amazon and you’ll get more than 40,000 results, ranging from well-known brands like Anker and Belkin to obscure brand names with zero product reviews. There are hundreds of companies and sellers to sift through, with varying capacities, port options, and charging speeds. So how do you know which brands are high-quality? Which listings are legitimate? What’s a good price to pay? Are any of these power banks actually on sale and worth buying, or are the discounts fake? It’s remarkably easy to sell products on Amazon (as evinced by its millions of sellers). That means there are plenty of subpar product listings that come from sketchy sellers—often with gibberish names or multiple sellers that are using the same photos and claiming to sell the same product. While many items on Amazon are safe …

Facebook and Instagram owner faces multi-billion legal case over scams | UK | News

Facebook and Instagram owner faces multi-billion legal case over scams | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Facebook owner Meta is facing a group legal action over fraud on its platforms (Image: AFP via Getty) Facebook and Instagram owner Meta is to face a multi-billion pound group legal action after being accused of enabling scam advertisements that have devastated the financial lives of tens of thousands of Britons. Every year, tens of thousands of people are scammed out of their savings after responding to fraudulent online advertisements promoting fake investment schemes, cryptocurrency fraud and bogus financial products. Yet social media platforms are estimated to have made more than £430million from UK users alone last year through hosting such fake adverts. Victims are targeted by algorithms which track online activity. As a result, someone searching for pension advice or looking to invest may be shown relevant adverts – some of which may be fake. The legal claim is being launched by two law firms, Humphries Kerstetter and Richardson Hartley Law, to recoup the billions of pounds that are lost each year in online scams through Facebook and Instagram. Martin Richardson, Senior Partner at …

‘Your devices could be at risk’: how McAfee antivirus scams trade on fear | Scams

‘Your devices could be at risk’: how McAfee antivirus scams trade on fear | Scams

Published by Sam Flores

You have had McAfee antivirus software installed on your laptop for years after becoming fearful that your computer would be infected. So when an email arrives to say your protection is about to expire, you are not surprised. Better still, there is a “renewal discount” of 89% if you pay on the same day. “Once the expiration date has passed, your computer becomes susceptible to many different virus threats,” the email warns. It is, however, a fake email sent not by the company that has become synonymous with anti-virus software, but by criminals who are hoping to harvest your financial details. Criminals use a variety of tactics to convince people that they are from McAfee and are becoming more sophisticated with advances in artificial intelligence, according to the company. “McAfee will never ask you to call a phone number in an email or text, and if you receive a subscription or renewal notice, we recommend logging on to McAfee.com directly to confirm your subscription and renewal status as cybercriminals also use false notifications to scam …

Scammers Are Using Your Real Hotel Reservations to Trick You With Spear-Phishing Attacks

Scammers Are Using Your Real Hotel Reservations to Trick You With Spear-Phishing Attacks

Published by skeptic

“We would not say that every single phishing message we observed was definitively caused by a direct compromise of the hotel’s own internal systems,” the researcher says. Phishing messages could have been sent using information from other data breaches or systems not linked to the travel industry. “The common factor is that criminals are weaponizing real reservation context and pushing travelers into a fake verification or payment flow,” Corrons says. Corrons says Norton has been unable to fully unpick who may be behind the attacks but says investigations are ongoing. Those sending some of the phishing messages appear to be using phishing kits designed to speed up and automate the process of sending and collecting information, he says, and in several cases the same phishing kit or technical infrastructure has been used. The company is not publishing the full list of potentially compromised hotels and holiday accommodations, Corrons says; however, he says the company has been in touch with Europol about its findings. A Europol spokesperson declined to comment, saying it does not discuss its …

£600 for cheese? The Brazilian beach scams that cost visitors dear | Scams

£600 for cheese? The Brazilian beach scams that cost visitors dear | Scams

Published by Sam Flores

When Lisa Selby* used her debit card to pay for two slices of barbecued cheese from a beach vendor in Rio de Janeiro, she expected to pay 40 reais (£5.90) for the snack. But shortly after the payment had gone through, she realised that she had been charged 4,000 reais (£590) after the vendor added two extra zeros to the card reader. “He showed me the right number on the contactless terminal, but then turned it round to face him and, unbeknownst to me, added two zeros just as I was about to tap with my phone,” she said. “He then gestured that there was no paper for a receipt and walked away.” Holidaymakers have been warned to beware of the crime in Rio. Last month a beach vendor was arrested after a British man was duped into paying £1,500 for a kebab, while an Argentinian tourist discovered a £3 corn on the cob had cost her £3,000. What it looks like Unscrupulous traders take advantage of tourists who are unfamiliar with the local currency …

NY City Council passes bill to protect Muslim pilgrims from Hajj scams

NY City Council passes bill to protect Muslim pilgrims from Hajj scams

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — The New York City Council passed a bill to educate New Yorkers on scams related to the Hajj and Umrah, the Islamic pilgrimages performed by millions every year. The first of its kind, the New York City bill aims to protect pilgrims, and particularly seniors, navigating the Hajj travel industry from scams related to travel, accommodation, catering services and visa applications. “Fraudulent travel packages, fake visa brokers, and predatory booking services have for too long targeted New York City Muslims who save for years to make these pilgrimages,” wrote Harlem Council Member Yusef Salaam, who sponsored the bill and is a Muslim, in a press release. Hajj, which begins on Sunday (May 24), is a seven-day pilgrimage that Muslims are expected to complete in their lifetime if they have the means and are physically fit. It is considered one of Islam’s five pillars and takes place in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, one of Islam’s holiest sites. Umrah, another pilgrimage to Mecca, is a non-mandatory ritual and can be accomplished at any time. Since 2022, …