October 24, 2023 at 12:13PM
Researchers have found hundreds of cyber scams related to the Israeli-Hamas conflict, including scam emails and fraudulent websites. These scams exploit people’s willingness to help those affected by the war and often use cryptocurrency as a payment method. Attackers use intimidation tactics and appeal to sympathy to manipulate recipients into clicking links or making contributions. Fake charity scams are common during disasters, and scammers adapt their tactics to appear more credible. To protect against these scams, users should thoroughly scrutinize websites before donating and look for indicators of fraud, such as spelling errors or lack of essential information about the organization.
Researchers have discovered numerous cyber scams taking advantage of the Israeli-Hamas conflict. These scams include over 500 scam emails and fraudulent websites that exploit people’s willingness to help those affected by the war. The emails often contain links to scam websites that encourage individuals to make contributions using various cryptocurrency payment options. Security experts have found additional fraudulent web pages by tracking the wallet addresses used, with these pages claiming to collect aid for different groups within the conflict area. Attackers often intimidate recipients by threatening severe consequences if they fail to click on links, open attachments, or call specified phone numbers. Scammers try to appeal to sympathy by presenting their actions as noble endeavors. Threat actors have the ability to adapt their tactics based on current events and societal concerns, using emotional appeals to override rational decision-making. Fake charity scams often emerge during real disasters, with scammers posing as charitable organizations and using emotional language to deceive users. They employ tactics such as using multiple text variations to evade spam filters or altering links and sender addresses. Scammers may incorporate current facts or photos to appear more credible and replicate the visual layout of legitimate organizations. Users are urged to carefully scrutinize websites before donating, looking for essential information about the organizers, recipients, legitimacy, and transparency regarding fund usage. It is advisable to use search engines to look for reports of an organization being a scam and check the provenance of domain names using whois.com or another domain registrar’s records. It’s also recommended to look for the owner of the IP address space used by the websites and the country where the hosting service originates. Legitimate charity organizations usually have more than just a single landing page. Spelling or grammar errors can indicate fraudulent pages, and if there is still uncertainty, it’s better to donate to well-known humanitarian support organizations. It’s important to remember that while the guise of scams may change, the underlying strategies remain consistent. It’s crucial to be informed and maintain a healthy skepticism to protect against opportunistic scams.