WASHINGTON (TNND) — At least one person has registered more than 10,000 domains for smishing schemes, according to a report published by a cybersecurity company on Thursday.
The “threat actor,” as Palo Alto Networks describes it, is impersonating toll and package delivery services through text messages to induce victims into revealing personal information like credit and debit card information, the company said. The services reportedly appear to be from California, New York, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, Kansas and the Canadian province of Ontario.
Palo Alto Networks noted the texts originate from phone numbers and email addresses and contain links that have internet addresses that might trick recipients into clicking on them.
Some examples of the web addresses include “e-zpassiag.com-courtfees.xin” and “usps.com-tracking-helpsomg.xin,” according to the company. The “threat actors” might ask iPhone holders using iMessage to reply to the text to initiate the scheme, Palo Alto Networks said. Apple reportedly bars links from appearing in messages received from unknown numbers.
Last year, the FBI released a public service announcement that a smishing scam in which texts represented toll collection services was moving across states. The agency said it had received more than 2,000 complaints about the messages.
“The texts claim the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls and contain almost identical language. The ‘outstanding toll amount’ is similar among the complaints reported to the [Internet Crime Complaint Center],” the announcement read. “However, the link provided within the text is created to impersonate the state’s toll service name, and phone numbers appear to change between states.”
The FBI suggested anyone who receives the texts files a complaint with the center and delete the message.
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