In the last year, cybercriminals have increased their activity in companies by 44% , this increase has been experienced during the declaration of the Spanish state of alarm.
Spain, like the rest of European countries, has suffered from the rise of cybercrime since 2011.
In the last 10 years, online fraud has grown by 813% in Spain and in 2020 the most affected have been companies.
So, today we will explain the types of deception so that you can avoid them pharmaceutical email lists and they do not reach your company or organization.
Types of online fraud
Businesses can suffer from several types of theft , but most of them are perpetrated through email.
Email spoofing or impersonation of a company's identity is the star element used by cybercriminals who aim to deceive consumers of that brand.
Using this technique, scammers impersonate companies to send spam , spread malware or carry out practices called phishing.
Phishing is one of the most common actions used to obtain personal data from customers by impersonating their identity.
Types of identity theft
1. Fake Microsoft technical support
This scam involves a Microsoft technician contacting the company under the pretext of “solving various technical problems with the computer.”
This way, you can obtain confidential company information without raising any suspicions.
2. CEO Fraud
This online fraud is based on deceiving a financial department employee with access to bank transactions.
In this case, you receive an email from the “CEO, president or director of the company” asking you to make an urgent and confidential transaction to another account, which actually belongs to the scammer.
3. HR Fraud
The target of this scam is the company's Human Resources staff. The department receives an email from an "employee" who wants to change the account into which his paycheck is paid.
A request results in the theft of a worker's wages and their transfer to the scammer's account.
4. Sextortion campaign
This scam is based on threatening an employee with the disclosure of personal or intimate content to their entire contact list if they do not make a deposit into the account provided to them.
This practice has different variants since they can use other content to extort the company or the employee.
One of the most commonly used elements is ransomware . This scam consists of blocking company computers so that they can carry out an immediate financial transaction.
Access to the equipment is usually achieved by executing or downloading certain content that is sent by email.
5. Web skimming
They use unpatched vulnerabilities in the content management system or phishing campaigns to gain access to the store. In this way, they steal all personal information entered by customers.
6. Web spoofing
One of the most common scams in online fraud is copying the official website to obtain personal data and money for purchases.
It is carried out using cybersquatting techniques, thus creating an exact copy of both the design and the information on the website.
How to prevent online fraud
Identify online fraud in your inbox
Email is one of the main working methods for companies, which is why scammers will try to carry out their fraudulent practices using this system.
Here are some things to keep in mind when you receive suspicious notifications:
a. Senders
You should pay special attention to the senders of your emails, most of them have one of these structures:
They do not match the official addresses and are usually similar (remember that if you want to confirm the contact we can call the official entity).
The email begins with “Dear taxpayer” or “Dear customer” with the invoice number hidden. Companies usually identify themselves from the beginning.
Be different from previously received messages or requests for personal information.
b. Links
When receiving a link in an email, it is recommended not to open it until you confirm its origin . To do this, we can analyze the way the link is written.
We must pay special attention to the punctuation marks, the security certificate, if it has spelling mistakes or is very different from the official page link.
Attached items
They are another tactic used to spread malware or obtain personal data from your clients. You should be suspicious when the sender is not known or your company has not requested this information.
According to a study by TransUnion , an international analysis and information organization, the most affected sectors are telecommunications, financial services and gambling.
Another indicator that has emerged in recent years has been the growth of these scams in large cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.