Scam
Six arrested for AI-powered investment scams that stole $20 million
Spain’s police arrested six individuals behind a large-scale cryptocurrency investment scam that used AI tools to generate deepfake ads featuring popular public figures to lure people. The scam was very successful, defrauding 19 million Euros ($20.9M) from 208 victims worldwide. The police operation, codenamed “COINBLACK – WENDMINE,” started two years ago following the submission of […]
Toll payment text scam returns in massive phishing wave
An ongoing phishing campaign impersonating E-ZPass and other toll agencies has surged recently, with recipients receiving multiple iMessage and SMS texts to steal personal and credit card information. The messages embed links that, if clicked, take the victim to a phishing site impersonating E-ZPass, The Toll Roads, FasTrak, Florida Turnpike, or another toll authority that attempts to […]
U.S. seized $8.2 million in crypto linked to ‘Romance Baiting’ scams
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has seized over $8.2 million worth of USDT (Tether) cryptocurrency that was stolen via ‘romance baiting’ scams. Previously referred to as ‘pig butchering,’ in this type of financial fraud victims are manipulated into making investments on fraudulent websites/apps that showcase massive returns. Convinced they’re making a profit, the victims invest […]
Police arrests 300 suspects linked to African cybercrime rings
African law enforcement authorities have arrested 306 suspects as part of ‘Operation Red Card,’ an INTERPOL-led international crackdown targeting cross-border cybercriminal networks. Between November 2024 and February 2025, authorities seized 1,842 devices allegedly used in mobile banking, investment, and messaging app scams linked to over 5,000 victims. “Ahead of the operation, countries exchanged criminal intelligence on key targets. This […]
FBI warnings are true—fake file converters do push malware
The FBI is warning that fake online document converters are being used to steal peoples’ information and, in worst-case scenarios, to deploy ransomware on victims’ devices. The warning came last week from the FBI Denver field office, after receiving an increasing number of reports about these types of tools. “The FBI Denver Field Office is […]
Malware campaign ‘DollyWay’ breached 20,000 WordPress sites
A malware operation dubbed ‘DollyWay’ has been underway since 2016, compromising over 20,000 WordPress sites globally to redirect users to malicious sites. The campaign has evolved significantly in the past eight years, leveraging advanced evasion, re-infection, and monetization strategies. According to GoDaddy researcher Denis Sinegubko, DollyWay has been functioning as a large-scale scam redirection system in its […]
US govt says Americans lost record $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said today that Americans lost a record $12.5 billion to fraud last year, a 25% increase over the previous year. Consumers reported that investment scams resulted in the highest losses, totaling around $5.7 billion with a median loss of over $9,000 and exceeding all other fraud categories. The second […]
FTC will send $25.5 million to victims of tech support scams
Later this week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will start distributing over $25.5 million in refunds to those misled by tech support companies Restoro and Reimage’s scare tactics. The FTC will send 736,375 PayPal payments starting March 13 to consumers tricked into paying for unnecessary computer repair services. Between now and March 13, those eligible […]
YouTubers extorted via copyright strikes to spread malware
Cybercriminals are sending bogus copyright claims to YouTubers to coerce them into promoting malware and cryptocurrency miners on their videos. The threat actors take advantage of the popularity of Windows Packet Divert (WPD) tools that are increasingly used in Russia as they help users bypass internet censorship and government-imposed restrictions on websites and online services. YouTube […]
Fake BianLian ransom notes mailed to US CEOs in postal mail scam
Scammers are impersonating the BianLian ransomware gang in fake ransom notes sent to US companies via snail mail through the United States Postal Service. The fake ransom notes were first reported by Guidepoint Security today, with GeekFeed later being sent a scan of the note from a CEO who received the same letter. The envelopes for these […]