Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have warned of
a new phishing email that attempts to trick PayPal users into
calling a phone number and parting with their credit card
information.
The email asks recipients to call a phone
number.
The email, which purports to come from PayPal, claims that the
recipient's account has been the subject of fraudulent activity.
However, unlike normal phishing emails, there is no internet link
or response address. Instead, the email urges the recipient to call
a phone number and verify their details. When dialled, users are
greeted by an automated voice saying:
"Welcome to account verification. Please type your 16 digit
card number."
Listen to
a WAV file of the phone message (203 KB).
Once the credit card details are entered, the scammer is free to
steal the information for their own gain. If incorrect card details
are entered, a request for re-entry is made, further enhancing the
legitimacy of the fraudulent telephone number, which is still
live.
"Users that type in their card information may think they're
verifying their PayPal account, but in actual fact, they're handing
their details over to cyber criminals on a plate," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant at Sophos. "Though it's an American telephone
number, the fact that PayPal is used globally means that anyone
could potentially be tricked into making the call."
Sophos researchers believe that PayPal's brand has been used in
the scam because it is so well known worldwide.
"This voice phishing or 'vishing' scam underlines a real problem
for online companies in how they communicate with their customers.
Many users are beginning to learn to not click on links in
unsolicited emails, and only visit the legitimate websites run by
their favourite brands, but how many would know whether a phone
number for their website is genuine or not?," continued Cluley. "As
hackers get smarter we are likely to see them increasingly not only
set up fake websites, but 'harvest' messages from corporate
switchboard systems to appear even more like the legitimate
company."
Sophos recommends users protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can defend them from
the threats of both spam and viruses; and that they exercise
caution with unsolicited emails.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.