Tech Support Scam Kit Uses Google Ads to Deliver Fake Security Alerts

Google Ads deliver a tech support scam kit that shows fake security alerts, makes browsers appear locked and…...

Tech support scams look different now. Here’s what to watch for

In a tech support scam, criminals pretend to work for a trusted technology or security company. They claim there is a problem with your device, software, subscription, or account, then try to persuade you to pay them, share personal information, or give them remote access to your computer. These...

Fake listings can turn trusted platforms into scam springboards

Recently, we found a listing on BuzzFeed from someone pretending to be Malwarebytes Support. It reminded us why we need to be cautious about content on platforms where anyone can create an entry. Based on the phone number, we suspect the people behind this listing are trying to draw callers into ...

Fake Apple Pay charge brings the classic tech support scam to your phone

iPhone users are being targeted in a new tech support scam, using a fake Apple Pay notification to trick users. Tech support scams that use fake warnings to push victims into calling a phone number have been around for years, but this page has been designed specifically for phones. Instead of a...

13M+ Emails Sent in Tech Support Scam Targeting Users, Organizations in Japan

We analyzed a sustained tech support scam campaign that sent more than 13 million emails to Japanese addresses, with workplace-themed lures suggesting a possible expansion toward enterprise targets...

A week in security (April 6 – April 12)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Fake Claude site installs malware that gives attackers access to your computer ClickFix finds a new way to infect Macs Scammers pose as Amazon support to steal your account NSFW app leak exposes 70,000 prompts linked to individual users 30,000 private Facebook imag...

PayPal closes loophole that let scammers send real emails with fake purchase notices

After an investigation by BleepingComputer, PayPal closed a loophole that allowed scammers to send emails from the legitimate [email protected] email address. Following reports from people who received emails claiming an automatic payment had been cancelled, BleepingComputer found that...

New Tech Support Scam Uses Microsoft Logo to Fake Browser Lock, Steal Data

The Cofense Phishing Defense Centre warns of a new tech support scam using Microsoft’s brand to lock browsers and steal data. Learn how the attack uses fake 'payment lures' and urgent security alerts to trick victims into calling a fraudulent support number...

CBI Shuts Down £390K U.K. Tech Support Scam, Arrests Key Operatives in Noida Call Center

India's Central Bureau of Investigation CBI has announced that it has taken steps to dismantle what it said was a transnational cybercrime syndicate that carried out "sophisticated" tech support scams targeting citizens of Australia and the United Kingdom. The fraudulent scheme is estimated to ha...

CBI Shuts Down £390K U.K. Tech Support Scam, Arrests Key Operatives in Noida Call Center

India's Central Bureau of Investigation CBI has announced that it has taken steps to dismantle what it said was a transnational cybercrime syndicate that carried out "sophisticated" tech support scams targeting citizens of Australia and the United Kingdom. The fraudulent scheme is estimated to ha...

Microsoft Helps CBI Dismantle Indian Call Centers Behind Japanese Tech Support Scam

India's Central Bureau of Investigation CBI has revealed that it has arrested six individuals and dismantled two illegal call centers that were found to be engaging in a sophisticated transnational tech support scam targeting Japanese citizens. The law enforcement agency said it conducted...

Cybercriminals Exploiting Microsoft's Quick Assist Feature in Ransomware Attacks

The Microsoft Threat Intelligence team said it has observed a threat actor it tracks under the name Storm-1811 abusing the client management tool Quick Assist to target users in social engineering attacks. "Storm-1811 is a financially motivated cybercriminal group known to deploy Black Basta...

Google ad for Facebook redirects to scam

Today, we are looking at a malicious ad campaign targeting Facebook users via Google search. It is well-known that tech support scammers attract new victims by buying ads for certain keywords related to their audience. What is perhaps less known is how it is even possible to impersonate top brand...

Catching up with WoofLocker, the most elaborate traffic redirection scheme to tech support scams

Back in January 2020, we blogged about a tech support scam campaign dubbed WoofLocker that was by far using the most complex traffic redirection scheme we had ever seen. In fact, the threat actor had started deploying infrastructure in earnest as early as 2017, about 3 years prior to our...

Microsoft Teams used in phishing campaign to bypass multi-factor authentication

Attackers believed to have ties to Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service SVR are using Microsoft Teams chats as credential theft phishing lures. Microsoft Threat Intelligence has posted details about the perceived attacks targeted at fewer than 40 unique global organizations. The targeted...

A week in security (May 8-14)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: The rise of "Franken-ransomware," with Allan Liska: Lock and Code S04E11 Ransomware review: May 2023 Brightline breach hits at least 964,000 people, US records show Ransomware attack on MSI led to compromised Intel Boot Guard private keys Fake system update drops...

Over 1 Million WordPress Sites Infected by Balada Injector Malware Campaign

Over one million WordPress websites are estimated to have been infected by an ongoing campaign to deploy malware called Balada Injector since 2017. The massive campaign, per GoDaddy's Sucuri, "leverages all known and recently discovered theme and plugin vulnerabilities" to breach WordPress sites...

Tech support scammers target Microsoft users with fake Office 365 USB sticks

Microsoft is a hot target for scammers and acts of fraud. For example, tech support scam websites cover themselves in Windows branding and messages. Phone scammers claim to be calling directly from Microsoft. If its not a Bill Gates themed lottery spam mail in your mailbox, its a fake Excel...

Viral video drives malvertising on social media platform

This blog post was authored by Jerome Segura Viral content shared on social media is highly coveted since it gets a lot of impressions and engagement. Unfortunately, the people who push this kind of content don't always have the best of intentions. We recently identified a malvertising campaign o...

Facebook, News and XSS Underpin Complex Browser Locker Attack

A sophisticated “browser locker” campaign is spreading via Facebook, ultimately pushing a tech-support scam. The effort is more advanced than most, because it involves exploiting a cross-site scripting XSS vulnerability on a popular news site, researchers said. Browser lockers are a type of...