July 9, 2023, 9:47 PM
July 9, 2023, 9:47 PM
The problem of the lack of dollars in the country has become an opportunity for hacking social networks and scams.
There are several cases reported on different platforms, by victims of a new form of cybersecurity breach. The people behind these events allegedly hack Facebook accounts to impersonate their identity, and then offer dollars for sale to the contacts of those affected, dollars that are never delivered.
Juan Pablo Vásquez, CEO of TecnoBit, a web page specialized in technology, explains this type of scam, and gives recommendations to avoid being another victim.
He says that the identity theft, known as phishingis a problem that affects different users worldwide, and in this case, the objective of cybercriminals is to steal information, accounts, cards or money.
“The way they act is posing as companies, people or even relatives. The procedure they use is to get the attention of the victims in different ways, either with messages or calls saying ‘you won a prize’, or ‘your family member had an accident‘, among others, but one that has become popular lately is the exchange of dollars and QR shipments,” he said.
According to Vásquez, there are recommendations to avoid falling into deception. Among these, he called “always doubt“, and if they call from any company, be it a bank, telephone company or from any other sector, it is important to be wary. “If you have the slightest doubt, indicate that you will appear at the offices or that you will call directly,” he advised.
Another point to take into account, “never deliver data”. He said that it is very likely that the criminals already have the name of their possible victim, and that showever they will try to ask for more information, or even passwordswhich under no circumstances should be delivered.
He also suggested do not send codes, in case they are requested. These will arrive by message or email, but should not be sent to third parties.
Very important: called athave strong passwords. “It is advisable to use different passwords than include letters, numbers, and special characters“, he indicated.
Another point is: “never follow instructions. Never accept instructions to use a computer and instructions to install programs or access your accounts,” she advised.
Additionally, he said that it is necessary to consider do not enter sent linksand if a message with a link from an unknown number, you do not have to access, regardless of whether it has the logo of a well-known company. “Even if you get a link from someone related to you, better hesitate and ask for more information,” she added.
also asked verify email address. He said that it is common for emails to arrive on behalf of entities, and you always have to check the sender and the address where they write. “Generally the matter is alarming and they ask you to enter your account, avoid doing so and contact the entity directly,” he recommended.
Finally, he called decline transfers by QR. “You should not make QR transfers to unauthorized or known accounts, these are non-refundable,” she warned.
For her part, Hermany Terrazas, digital analyst and Senior UX/UI designer, also gave a list of tips to help prevent this type of scam, which is increasingly common.
“This thing about the dollar exchange is a form of scam in which people fall for recklessness. They should first make sure by phone, or at least, see them (those who offer the service) before depositing such amounts of money, because with this that people are in need, not just for dollars, they fall, “he said.
Terrazas said that Do not believe anything that is on social networks, including WhatsApp, because it may have been hacked. “It is a matter of education, since these issues are very complicated, and common sense is required.”
with the iartificial intelligence, warned that even the voice in recordings is at risk of being copied for ends not always good. That is why he asked to be wary of “too attractive” offers.
For him, normally you have to be predisposed to the fact that it is a scam and you have to start asking a lot of questions, but also request physical meetings, before making any transactionor make a video call, which is more difficult to hack at the moment.
He remembered that most of the time the cybercriminals act by impersonating people to obtain some information that can give you benefits.
You believe that it is best to never make very large online transactions, and be careful with QR codeswhich may be fraudulent, and not deliver products before the deposit is made.
“The information is in the cloud and it is dangerous that our data is available to people who can do everything with it, they can request a license and get loans online just by signing. There are many cases of scams. In short, on the internet It all comes down to reasoning,” he concluded.
The mode of operation recently denounced indicates that, once the Antisocials hack Facebook accountthey establish communication via Messenger with the contacts of the affected person, offering dollars.
If the offer is accepted, the Scammers ask that Bolivians deposit them to a bank account, but they never deliver the pledged dollars.