Web Fraud 2.0

IndependentKrebs

Big Tech’s Mixed Response to U.S. Treasury Sanctions

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2025 16:06:05 +0000

In May 2025, the U.S. government sanctioned a Chinese national for operating a cloud provider linked to the majority of virtual currency investment scam websites reported to the FBI. But more than a month later, the accused continues to openly operate accounts at a slew of American tech companies, including Facebook, Github, LinkedIn, PayPal and Twitter/X.

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IndependentKrebs

Inside a Dark Adtech Empire Fed by Fake CAPTCHAs

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2025 22:14:00 +0000

Late last year, security researchers made a startling discovery: Kremlin-backed disinformation campaigns were bypassing moderation on social media platforms by leveraging the same malicious advertising technology that powers a sprawling ecosystem of online hucksters and website hackers. A new report on the fallout from that investigation finds this dark ad tech industry is far more resilient and incestuous than previously known.

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IndependentKrebs

Pakistani Firm Shipped Fentanyl Analogs, Scams to US

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 07 May 2025 22:22:48 +0000

A Texas firm recently charged with conspiring to distribute synthetic opioids in the United States is at the center of a vast network of companies in the U.S. and Pakistan whose employees are accused of using online ads to scam westerners seeking help with trademarks, book writing, mobile app development and logo designs, a new investigation reveals.

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IndependentKrebs

China-based SMS Phishing Triad Pivots to Banks

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2025 15:31:58 +0000

China-based purveyors of SMS phishing kits are enjoying remarkable success converting phished payment card data into mobile wallets from Apple and Google. Until recently, the so-called “Smishing Triad” mainly impersonated toll road operators and shipping companies. But experts say these groups are now directly targeting customers of international financial institutions, while dramatically expanding their cybercrime infrastructure and support staff.

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IndependentKrebs

How Phished Data Turns into Apple & Google Wallets

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2025 18:37:26 +0000

Carding — the underground business of stealing, selling and swiping stolen payment card data — has long been the dominion of Russia-based hackers. Happily, the broad deployment of more secure chip-based payment cards in the United States has weakened the carding market. But a flurry of innovation from cybercrime groups in China is breathing new life into the carding industry, by turning phished card data into mobile wallets that can be used online and at main street stores.

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IndependentKrebs

How Phished Data Turns into Apple & Google Wallets

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2025 18:37:26 +0000

Carding — the underground business of stealing, selling and swiping stolen payment card data — has long been the dominion of Russia-based hackers. Happily, the broad deployment of more secure chip-based payment cards in the United States has weakened the carding market. But a flurry of innovation from cybercrime groups in China is breathing new life into the carding industry, by turning phished card data into mobile wallets that can be used online and at main street stores.

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IndependentKrebs

Infrastructure Laundering: Blending in with the Cloud

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2025 17:10:08 +0000

In an effort to blend in and make their malicious traffic tougher to block, hosting firms catering to cybercriminals in China and Russia increasingly are funneling their operations through major U.S. cloud providers. Research published this week on one such outfit — a sprawling network tied to Chinese organized crime gangs and aptly named “Funnull” — highlights a persistent whac-a-mole problem facing cloud services.

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IndependentKrebs

Chinese Innovations Spawn Wave of Toll Phishing Via SMS

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2025 21:18:48 +0000

Residents across the United States are being inundated with text messages purporting to come from toll road operators like E-ZPass, warning that recipients face fines if a delinquent toll fee remains unpaid. Researchers say the surge in SMS spam coincides with new features added to a popular commercial phishing kit sold in China that makes it simple to set up convincing lures spoofing toll road operators in multiple U.S. states.

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