Beware & Protect Yourself 09 (May 25 - Dec 27)

[behappyalways]

Chinese Hisense smart TVs exposed for surveillance, leading to a mass lawsuit from US users; Lee ...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OwgRqgYf3J0

[behappyalways]

Traveling Abroad? Don't Fall for the "Transfer for Cash" Scam—You Could Become a Money Mule and G...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ0eOmYokhI

[behappyalways]

The Hidden Backdoors Inside Millions of Smart Devices | WSJ
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=apEPPKYgLL0&t=328s

[behappyalways]

Removing AI Spyware From Your Google Account
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/re ... le-account

[winston]

Police: Victim Trapped in Online Purchase of Second-hand Notebook, Transfers Funds 80 Times with Total Loss of HKD1.23 million

Police posted on the "CyberDefender" platform that in March this year, a victim spotted a second-hand notebook computer on a price comparison website, thinking it was a bargain, but instead fell into a scam.

The fraudsters repeatedly requested transfers from the victim under various pretexts, such as "shipping fees" and "customs clearance fees".

Within one month, the victim made a total of 80 transfers to the scammers, including cash deposits via a Bitcoin ATM.

The total loss amounted to as much as HKD1.23 million.

The victim only came to realize the situation after discussing it with family members.

Police explained that the scammers precisely exploited the human weakness known as the "sunk cost fallacy." The victim’s perception at the time was not that he was "paying to buy a computer," but that he had fallen into a fatal illusion:

"As long as I pay one more ‘customs clearance fee’ or ‘unfreezing fee,’ I can recover the tens of thousands of dollars already paid and receive the computer."

After paying HKD100,000, the victim’s brain was driven to avoid "wasting" that amount, forcing him to believe the scammers’ lies.

Desperate to "recover" the previous payments, the victim repeatedly transferred money like a robot, even depositing cash through a Bitcoin ATM.

Police reminded the public that when the amount paid has already exceeded the value of the goods, the situation is extremely dangerous.

Source: AASTOCKS Financial News

https://www.aastocks.com/en/stocks/news ... -news/AAFN

[winston]

MyCert warns of malware being spread through WhatsApp Web and Desktop

By Christopher Fam

The malware specifically targets Windows computers, with attackers using social engineering tactics by sending potential victims messages containing malicious attachments disguised as legitimate legal, debt, or financial documents.

Common file names include: "Acknowledgment of Debt.vbs", "Sila semak bil anda.vbs", "December statement of account.vbs", and "Reconciliation.vbs".

While their names may suggest that the files are PDF documents, they are in fact Visual Basic Script (.vbs) files. When opened, they automatically execute a script – a series of instructions carried out by a computer – triggering the malware infection process.

The script installs malicious elements on a computer, such as a Remote Access Trojan (RAT), which gives attackers the ability to remotely access and control the device and maintain that access even after a reboot.

Those with infected devices should immediately disconnect the affected device from the Internet to cut off the attacker's remote access.

Source: The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-ne ... nd-desktop

[winston]

Sophistication of investment scams

By NG ZHU HANN

there was a media report about another cash trust scheme imploding where there were 1,800 victims nationwide with losses estimated to be more than RM100mil.

This cash trust scheme promised 8% to 10% guaranteed returns per annum (which sounds reasonable compared to many other types of scams), but after the returns had been distributed for a period of time, the flow of payments stopped and eventually, capital withdrawals were halted.

In this case, the majority of the victims were retirees.

One of the victims alleged that the products were sold to them through their insurance agent, claiming the cash trust scheme was offered by a trust company that had the endorsement of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), which led to him investing the money in 2022.

Source: The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/bus ... e=smartech

[behappyalways]

Second Wave of Arrests in AI Romance Scam: 6 PR Ladies Shaking in Their Boots at Taipei District ...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4gR1ujKpDkI

[winston]

Company loses RM970,000 after clerk falls for WhatsApp scam

By IVAN LOH

The 31-year-old clerk received a message via WhatsApp from her manager's phone number, instructing her to make the fund transfer on behalf of the company.

"The manager's mobile phone is believed to have been hacked, and the scammer impersonated the manager.

"The police would like to remind the people to contact the National Scam Response Centre's 997 hotline if they have fallen victim to a scam immediately to increase the chance to freeze any fund transfer".

Source: The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/ ... tsapp-scam

[behappyalways]

Researcher Finds Backdoor In Chinese-Made Routers Sold Worldwide
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/res ... -worldwide