Reports of "smishing" text message scams in the UK have risen "dramatically" in the first six months of 2021, consumer group Which? said on Tuesday.
Figures from spam text service Proofpoint show the attacks in the UK increased by nearly 700% in the first six months of 2021 compared to the second half of 2020.
Which? said the exponential rise has been driven by fraudsters look to take advantage of coronavirus pandemic-related shopping trends, such as people getting more deliveries to their homes, as well as the growth in businesses sending texts to customers.
What is a smishing scam?
Smishing is essentially the text message equivalent of phishing.
Whereas phishing uses emails to trick victims into giving personal information such as online passwords or credit card numbers, smishing uses SMS text messages.
Smishing messages frequently purport to be from banks, delivery companies and phone networks.
The latest Proofpoint figures show so-called parcel smishing attacks are outnumbering banking smishing attacks in the UK by a ratio of three to one - reflective of the pandemic-induced rise in e-commerce.
A more recent technique is voicemail smishing where scammers send a text pretending to have a link to a voicemail.
Business stages smishing fightback
Which? has published an SMS best practice guide for businesses to help protect their customers from potential fraud. Major banks and delivery companies such as Barclays, TSB, DPD and Hermes have agreed to adopt it.
Since establishing its own "scam sharer" tool in March 2021, Which? has received more than 9,000 reports to the tool. Sixty-five per cent of reports have been phone call or text scams - and 31 per cent have been scam texts specifically.
"Smishing attempts have risen dramatically - with fraudsters taking advantage of the pandemic to trick consumers into giving away personal details and transferring their hard-earned cash," said Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy.
"Businesses must play their part to protect people from scams."
He advised businesses should avoid hyperlinks where possible, and not include phone numbers.
Five ways to prevent smishing attacks
Reassuringly, Which? research found seven in 10 people said they do not trust text messages from companies to be free from scam risks.
There is also plenty of advice circulating to help people and businesses prevent smishing attacks.
The University of Hawai'i Federal Credit Union has compiled these five pointers.
1. Don’t reply to the text message or call the number.
2. Do a web search of both the number and the message content.
3. If the phishing message is spoofing a company, call the company directly.
4. Don’t click on any links in the message.
5. Utilise a VPN on your mobile device.
'Social engineering attacks' rise 88% in three years
The Which? findings were released as fraud prevention body Cifas and Mobile UK warned of an increase in "social engineering attacks" on mobile phone users.
Attempts by criminals to impersonate genuine customers of phone companies and hijack their accounts have increased significantly in recent years, they said.
Facility takeover fraud, whereby an existing mobile phone account is taken over by a fraudster, has increased by 88 per cent over the past three years in the telecommunications sector, with over 17,500 instances recorded in 2020.
Reports have also been received of criminals using other communications methods, such social media platforms, to impersonate mobile phone companies.
"If you receive a call from someone purporting to be a mobile phone company offering you a new mobile phone or an upgrade, always be sceptical and challenge the caller." said Cifas' head of fraud intelligence Amber Burridge.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Final round
25 under - Antoine Rozner (FRA)
23 - Francesco Laporta (ITA), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG)
21 - Grant Forrest (SCO)
20 - Ross Fisher (ENG)
19 - Steven Brown (ENG), Joakim Lagergren (SWE), Niklas Lemke (SWE), Marc Warren (SCO), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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