With people worldwide stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of scam calls and text messages has rocketed to new heights, growing 190 percent worldwide last year from 2019, Gogolook said earlier this month.
The Taiwanese firm provides the caller identification app Whoscall, which identifies incoming calls and text messages for more than 80 million users in 31 countries.
Based on the number of queries on its database of 1.6 billion telephone numbers, Gogolook said that it blocked more than 280 million scam calls and texts last year, up 190 percent year-on-year, a record since the app was launched in 2010.
Photo: Huang Ching-chun, Taipei Times
Taiwanese were at particular risk, receiving more than 14 million scam calls and texts last year, up 488 percent from 2019, the company said.
Texts made up 80 percent of the total, showing that scammers are rapidly shifting their focus to text messages, as they are relatively cheap and more likely to reach recipients, it said.
Scam texts often include links to platforms that mimic social media or banking platforms, intended to trick people into entering sensitive information, such as account numbers and passwords, it said.
Clicking on a suspicious link could infect a device with a Trojan virus, which might hijack the device to send scam messages, it added.
The most commonly received scam texts were notifications for package deliveries, as well as banking verification messages, the company said.
To avoid detection, scam rings commonly set up servers in areas where telecom regulations are more relaxed, said Lee Yan-ju (李彥儒), who is in charge of software and artificial intelligence research and development for Whoscall.
Scammers also use Internet call services to disguise their numbers as local and make them more difficult to track, Lee said, adding that Taiwanese regulations restrict this method.
In Taiwan, scam calls or texts from abroad always display a country code beginning with a plus sign, he said, advising people to always be cautious of such numbers.
The most commonly blocked numbers last year started with +86 (for China, 137,289 times), followed by +44 (the UK, 87,543 times) and +22 (Belgium, 34,066 times), Lee said.
The most common dangerous links led to Web sites with URLs ending in .duckdns.org, .xyz and .club, he added.
In other news, security software company Trend Micro last week warned the public to avoid responding to SMS messages or private messages in messaging software claiming to be from their bank, or to click on any links in such messages.
Reports of phishing attempts have been on the rise, with numerous users reporting messages claiming that there are problems with their bank account, and telling them to submit personal information to verify their identity and prevent their accounts being frozen, the company said.
“When you click the link, it asks you to enter your bank account number, password and ID card number. When you click ‘submit,’ there is no response,” it said, adding that the form sends your personal information to whoever is running the phishing scam.
If the scammers obtain online banking information, they might be able to transfer money to their account, Trend Micro said.
A bank would not send a message to customer asking them to click a link and enter personal information, it said, adding that those with doubts could contact their bank’s customer service center by telephone, or visit a branch to confirm the message’s contents.
“It’s also always a good idea to check the URL and see if it looks normal. Another option is to join the National Police Agency’s anti-fraud Line group, or install security software,” Trend Micro said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS