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Behind an SMS with the content “New voicemail” or “Your SIM card will be deactivated” is a scam that can cost a lot of money.
Fake SMS messages with malware are currently in circulation. The Forum Mobilkommunikation (FMK) together with the mobile network operators Drei, Magenta and A1 warned on Friday against SMS with the texts “New voicemail” or “Your SIM card will be deactivated”. There is a link in the text message: If you click on this, you install the Trojan “Flubot” on your smartphone.
Trojan sends SMS to premium rate numbers
The Trojan has an even easier time if you have changed the recommended security settings. In this case, the installation runs by itself. “Flubot” has been found only on Android smartphones so far, but it cannot be ruled out that other operating systems are also affected.
The Trojan causes two kinds of problems: The infected smartphone sends further SMS with the same content to all contacts. Since the short messages are not displayed in the outbox, this happens unnoticed by the owner. In the worst case, countless additional SMS messages are sent to expensive premium rate numbers, which cause extremely high costs. Moreover, the malware tries to obtain bank and credit card data using fake input screens.
Fake SMS: Do not open the link!
If there are links in text messages that are unexpected or that you can’t relate to, you must not open the link. The messages must be deleted consistently, even if they arrive several times in a row. If the link in the message was clicked by mistake, and thus the malware was installed, the flight mode must be activated immediately. This will cut off any connections that are in progress. All access data to payment apps, but also to online stores, for example, must be changed from another device. The smartphone must be reset to factory settings. It is therefore advisable to back up important files externally at regular intervals as a preventive measure.
— sources: APA and vienna.at/picture: pixabay.com
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