With fake offers and “theft of PIX”, cybercriminals use social engineering to deceive unsuspecting people who are looking for money.

The PIX instant payment system has revolutionized the way financial transfers and transactions are carried out and is the most widely used payment system in Brazil, with just three years of existence. However, its popularity and simplicity have attracted the attention of cybercriminals who use the system's resources to attack them. Check out two examples of blows and blows to avoid being a victim.

Easy money with Robô do PIX

Necessarily, criminals take advantage of the search for investors for quick financial returns to deceive and persuade those who are most inattentive. Using social engineering, we are contacted by messages or advertisements on social networks and offer investment opportunities with exorbitant returns in the exchange of a Pix for an unknown account.

The idea is to offer the victim money as a “caução”, which will be returned after initiating the transactions, and the promise of money is so tempting that many people end up giving in to psychological pressure created by the coup plotters. Once you obtain a significant amount of the victim, cut off contact.

"It is important to understand that legitimate and solid investments do not promise surreally high returns in a short space of time. The prevention of this type of coup involves a careful investigation of any investment opportunity, a verification of the information of the recipient and, above all, a distrust of offers that seem too cheap for be true,” comments Fabio Assolini, director of the Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team for Latin America.

Hit of false payment with tickets and deceptive offers

Social engineering is also used here, to convince victims that they are making a legitimate payment, when in fact they are transferring money directly to the two coup plotters. Criminals create fake tickets or present tempting offers, including special discounts, and request payment via PIX, claiming to be the quickest and easiest method.

In no example identified by our specialists, criminals disguise or hit a telephone/internet account. The only news is the presence of the QR code as a payment option. A detail shows that, for criminals, a new payment option is preferred, because a discounted offer of 5% is offered if payment is used that method.

"To avoid falling into disrepair, it is essential to carefully verify the origin of the ticket or the offer. Always confirm the information with trusted sources, such as the official sites of the companies or institutions involved. Also, avoid clicking on suspicious links or providing sensitive information in responding to messages "If you are faced with offers that seem too good to be true or receive requests for suspicious payments, stop and analyze the situation with a critical eye," adds Assolini.

Identify the blow:

• Confirm the recipient's details before completing the payment via PIX. As in all fraudulent schemes, criminals use red names to receive two money hits. Only legitimate payments will show correct company names (social reasons).
• If a promotion is too bad, be wary! Large discounts and “super offers” can be unwarranted robbery schemes. If you receive a promotion, it is important to enter the official site by typing the URL manually in your browser.
• No example of a false bill, there is no information on the customer's name, only the client's code, which is a number that no one should know about.
• If you receive a warning, contact your banking institution to register a report of fraud, and notify them immediately.

Content originally posted in Kaspersky Blog

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