Criminals running e-mail lottery scams are exploiting
070 personal numbers in the UK to defraud internet
users.
Internet security firm Sophos said that the general availability of 070
numbers made them a perfect tool for cybercriminals looking for
financial gain.
E-mail lottery scams typically claim that recipients have been
selected to receive a large cash prize, and that the fortune can be
collected once the victim has revealed confidential information,
including their bank details.
To persuade recipients that the non-existent lottery win is
genuine, the e-mails often contain a contact phone number.
Sophos said that the UK's 070 numbers are the second most
commonly used phone numbers in such scams. US-based phone numbers
top the list.
Known as "personal numbers", 070 numbers look like mobile phone
numbers but can easily be redirected to any number anywhere in the
world. In addition, 070 numbers can be acquired for free, as
callers pay higher charges to use them.
This means that anyone can quickly and cheaply acquire multiple
070 numbers, which redirect or divert to the same mobile phone or
landline.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said,
"Internet scammers are scooping up these free 070 personal phone
numbers, redirecting them overseas, and posing as British lottery
officials.
"They can easily cycle through a bunch of these 'throw-away'
numbers, using them to con innocent victims into revealing
confidential information that can then be used to empty bank
accounts and commit identity theft."
One recent e-mail scam claimed to be a communication from the
United Nations working with the World Bank, and indicated that
$17.5m (£9.2m) was ready to be released into the recipient's bank
account.
"With 070 numbers, callers have no way - short of persuading the
070 service provider to tell them - to determine where their call
ends up," said Cluley.
More information:
Spam and phishihg attacks grow more
sophisticated
Customer data law would hit e-business, say
banks
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