Attention, Cybercriminals Have a New Method! What Is Spoofing?

As reported by the Cybercrime Bureau of the Police Headquarters:

Spoofing is a new method of obtaining sensitive data or money fraudulently. It involves using software to change the telephone number or name of the incoming caller displayed on the phone screen of the person answering the call.

Police officers are appealing for caution during this type of contact and for verification of the identities of people calling us: – Let us remember! Scammers skillfully manipulate conversations in order to obtain as much information as possible and exploit our naivety. When dealing with strangers, we should always follow the principle of limited trust.

What does spoofing involve?

The Police Headquarters defines it as follows:

Telephone spoofing is simply an increasingly popular scam in which the caller impersonates other numbers and then uses them to call victims while pretending to be someone else.

Today, spoofing is technically possible mainly thanks to new technological solutions. Using them, the caller can manually enter, in almost any service, the number that is to be displayed to the recipient as the caller’s number. Unfortunately, police officers have no way to technically block spoofing because the criminal’s phone is connected not to a cellular network, but to a computer network.

The result? Increasingly often, scammers impersonate bank consultants, representatives of public offices, or even police officers.

How do the criminals operate?

The perpetrators use various social-engineering tricks to manipulate the person they are speaking with and gain access to their smartphone or computer and, consequently, their bank account. A spoofing victim, guided by the number displayed on the phone, believes they are speaking with a bank helpline, a public-office employee, or a police officer. However, most conversations contain two elements: time pressure and a sense of danger. Scammers usually persuade victims to transfer money to a specified account.

The scenario of attacks using telephone spoofing is usually the same, or at least similar. The scammer tries to frighten the person they are speaking with so that they act under the influence of emotion, most often informing them of an alleged break-in to their bank account and the need to take swift action to block the intruders.

How can you avoid being scammed?

Police Headquarters:

Every telephone request to transfer money or provide bank account details should be treated as an attempted scam. In such a situation, it is best to enter the bank’s number yourself, call, report the call you received, and verify the information provided.