July 31, 2024 at 10:20AM
A fraud campaign named “ERIAKOS” utilizes over 600 fake web shops advertised on Facebook to collect personal and financial information, likely originating from China. The campaign offers substantial discounts on well-known products to attract users. These short-lived sites mainly target mobile users, leading to increased risk exposure. It is essential for consumers to research and shop safely online, especially when encountering suspicious sites offering unbelievable deals.
Based on the meeting notes, the main takeaway is that a fraudulent campaign called “ERIAKOS” has been identified targeting Facebook users through more than 600 fake web shops. The campaign offers significant discounts on products from well-known brands to attract visitors, but the sites are only accessible via mobile devices to avoid detection by security scanners. The campaign is believed to originate from China and continues to generate new advertisement waves for fresh sites, despite most of the mapped sites being offline due to their short-lived nature.
The campaign has been named after its content delivery network, hosted at eriakos.com, which is common across all identified fake web stores. It is also noted that the ads occasionally get blocked by Facebook, but the short-lived nature of the scam domains suggests a tactic of quickly defrauding victims and avoiding detection. The use of mobile platforms and constantly shifting domains present challenges for detection and takedowns.
Common indicators for the fraud campaign include the use of oss.eriakos.com as a CDN, domains registered with Alibaba Cloud Computing, and specific IP addresses. Additionally, another online fraud network called “BogusBazaar,” also believed to be operated out of China, was discovered in May 2024.
The meeting notes emphasize the importance of consumers shopping safely online and researching before making purchases from unknown sites. It is recommended to check for user reviews, terms of conditions, and ensure the domain uses HTTPS, especially when providing credit card details. Mobile users are specifically targeted, so it is crucial to remain vigilant and avoid sites with suspicious signs or a lack of search results.