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The Israeli-Hamas war is a hot topic that has attracted the world’s attention. Just like any event that has a global impact, hackers are now using this situation to target people through scam emails and websites. Cybersecurity company Kaspersky claims that it has identified a scam campaign exploiting the conflict.
According to the company, attackers are attempting to capitalise on people’s willingness to aid those impacted by the war. They are sending deceptive emails to make donations, which ultimately leads to the theft of their money.
“To date, cybercriminals have disseminated over 500 scam emails and created fraudulent websites to expedite the money transfer process,” Kaspersky said.
Fake charity scams
In fake charity scams, which occur during disaster or emergency situations, hackers exploit the situation for theft. A surge in scam emails written in the English language was observed. These emails falsely seek donations for those affected by the war.
In this case, scammers are impersonating charitable organisations and using emotional language to entice users to click on a scam website link, where they are prompted to contribute.
“In these emails, scammers try to create multiple text variations to evade spam filters. For instance, they use various call-to-donate phrases like ‘we call to your compassion and benevolence’ or ‘we call to your empathy and generosity,’ and substitute words like ‘help’ with synonyms such as ‘support,’ ‘aid,’ etc. Besides, they alter links and sender addresses. Robust cybersecurity solutions guard against these tactics,” said Andrey Kovtun, a security expert at Kaspersky.
The links used in the emails lead to a scam website that shows text about the war, photos and encourages them to make donations. Fraudsters facilitate easy money transfers, offering options for various cryptocurrency transactions.
How to safeguard
To avoid falling into scammers’ trap, users must scrutinise pages before donating. Fake sites often lack essential information about charity organisers, and recipients, legitimacy documentation, or lack transparency regarding fund usage.
Users must also be careful on social media as they must not assume that a donation request on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube is legitimate simply because a friend liked or shared it.
According to the company, attackers are attempting to capitalise on people’s willingness to aid those impacted by the war. They are sending deceptive emails to make donations, which ultimately leads to the theft of their money.
“To date, cybercriminals have disseminated over 500 scam emails and created fraudulent websites to expedite the money transfer process,” Kaspersky said.
Fake charity scams
In fake charity scams, which occur during disaster or emergency situations, hackers exploit the situation for theft. A surge in scam emails written in the English language was observed. These emails falsely seek donations for those affected by the war.
In this case, scammers are impersonating charitable organisations and using emotional language to entice users to click on a scam website link, where they are prompted to contribute.
“In these emails, scammers try to create multiple text variations to evade spam filters. For instance, they use various call-to-donate phrases like ‘we call to your compassion and benevolence’ or ‘we call to your empathy and generosity,’ and substitute words like ‘help’ with synonyms such as ‘support,’ ‘aid,’ etc. Besides, they alter links and sender addresses. Robust cybersecurity solutions guard against these tactics,” said Andrey Kovtun, a security expert at Kaspersky.
The links used in the emails lead to a scam website that shows text about the war, photos and encourages them to make donations. Fraudsters facilitate easy money transfers, offering options for various cryptocurrency transactions.
How to safeguard
To avoid falling into scammers’ trap, users must scrutinise pages before donating. Fake sites often lack essential information about charity organisers, and recipients, legitimacy documentation, or lack transparency regarding fund usage.
Users must also be careful on social media as they must not assume that a donation request on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube is legitimate simply because a friend liked or shared it.
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