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Attention – since last weekend there is again a rapid increase in scam SMS, which pretend the imminent delivery of a package.
Warning against SMS from fake parcel services
In the last five days, we have received more than 4,000 complaints in this regard,” informs Dr. Klaus M. Steinmaurer, RTR’s managing director for the Telecommunications and Postal Division, and explains: “The pre-Christmas season and lockdown are predestined for ordering parcels online. Many of us wait impatiently for our packages, are stressed and breathe a sigh of relief when we finally, finally receive information about an order we have placed. It is exactly this ‘predicament’ that scammers exploit and randomly send fake package notifications to automatically generated phone numbers.”
Do not click on link, delete SMS!
Opening scam SMS messages does not create any damage yet. Even simply clicking on the link does not yet bring any real negative consequences. “However, if you then follow the request to install the app ‘Flubot’, the trap snaps shut! The app paralyzes the cell phone, reads out most or even all of the data stored on the cell phone. Furthermore, mass SMS messages can be sent from the infected cell phone abroad and domestically in order to spread the link. This in turn can cause the cell phone bill to skyrocket,” Steinmaurer explains the fraud scenario and advises, “Therefore, simply delete dubious package notifications and ignore the link!”
App installed – contact mobile phone provider
Once the app is installed, it is difficult to remove. Uninstall attempts often entail a crash of the app management. Affected users who have installed the malicious app should contact their mobile operator immediately and turn off the smartphone until further action is clarified. The three major mobile operators have provided comprehensive information on their websites. The RTR website summarizes this information.
As a rule, it is not possible to determine who the scammers are, since the sender ID is forged. Therefore, tracking does not work either. In some cases, the infected cell phones themselves become SMS boosters, which makes tracing pointless.
How do you recognize scam SMS?
“Unfortunately, there is no patent remedy for identifying fraud SMS. In general, it is advisable to be suspicious and watch out if the SMS text has any peculiarities such as strange URLs, spelling mistakes or special characters in inappropriate places in the text, etc. These can be indications that something is wrong,” informs Steinmaurer and concludes by advising: “If there is the slightest doubt as to whether a parcel notification is legitimate, there are other ways to go: Check their current orders online with the mail-order companies and only use the tracking apps of the postal service providers offered via the official app stores.”
Report scam text messages
Sender IDs of SMS messages and phone numbers that are being misused can be posted at www.rufnummernmissbrauch.at. This allows us to quickly identify fraudulent activity that is occurring on a clustered basis and inform the public.
— source: vienna.at/picture:Image by Pexels from Pixabay
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