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Multiple attempted cyberattacks have been reported through the Internet. apps WhatsApp, using the Coca-Cola seal.
Social networks and e-mail accounts are two of the targets most common around identity theft.
Some websites, such as Microsoft’s, offer recommendations to avoid falling into these privacy practices. phishing.
Users of WhatsApp have reported through their different social networks the new identity theft campaign that circulates on the web using the name of Coke.
Studies reveal that the sectors most vulnerable to identity theft are financial institutions, with 23.6 percentbecause despite having much more security, it is true that they are the most attractive sector for cyber criminals. On the other hand, emails, e-Commerce sites and social networks are also a target exposed to these illegal practices.
Be careful if you get this WhatsApp message, it’s not Coca-Cola
It was through reports from various users of the application that the way in which the new hackers operate was discovered. In an effort to devise new identity theft strategies, WhatsApp has been the chosen site.
Not only that, each theft strategy requires a bait, a scapegoat, in this case a consolidated company. As on other occasions, LinkedIn users reported being victims of theft strategies through “pirate” emailstoday it is known that there are thousands of resources, so it is always important to confirm all mail that enters your inbox.
According to the report on social networks, In recent weeks, a rather strange publication has been shared around Coca-Cola. Supposedly, framed in its 130th anniversarythe company gives away a free mini-fridge to all those who have received this message through WhatsApp.
This is the alleged message recorded on social networks:
I won a coca cola fridge👍 pic.twitter.com/qQyCl3n1Fa
— ⍝ (@minhoravioles) July 1, 2022
The truth is that the message turns out to be false and of course it has nothing to do with the soda company. In the message sent massively and programmed, it reaches many users and it mentions a draw for more than 5,000 exclusive brand products, all of them free of charge. However, the focus of attention is the mini-fridge, which is used in order for people to access the platform with which this identity theft will be carried out.
The technique used is known as phishing. The phishing it’s a computer attack that aims to steal information about your identity, from your bank account. With this, in addition, you can make use of many personal data such as credit card numbers, passwords, website administration and practically any imagined movement that is allied to your email.
Many companies such as Alphabet Inc. or Microsoft have taken action against this computer crime strategy. Among the recommendations given by Microsoft in order to avoid these experiences are the following:
- Urgent call to action or threat
- First-time or infrequent shippers
- Spelling and bad grammar
- generic greetings
- Mismatched email domains
- Suspicious links or unexpected attachments
What can be seen in the message that supplants Coca-Cola is that through a WhatsApp link, it redirects you to a website whose domain does not belong to the company. said site is tinyurl5.ru, and there are quite a few images associated with the brand. Nevertheless, when entering the official page of the brandthere really is no link or tab that tells us anything about said promotion, much less one that redirects you to a site with said domain.
As registered by users, the page will give you a survey with easy-to-answer questions. After that, a tab will appear with the question Do you know Coca-Cola? After a dynamic where some gift boxes will be shown, the mini fridge will eventually appear.
Next will be the identity theft part, where you will be asked to fill in your address information in order to “receive the gift.” They will also ask you to enter your mobile phone data and some indications that will seem ridiculous. In this way, they will access not only your information, but also that of your contacts.
Specialists recommend avoiding replying to this kind of messages. In fact, although many companies have sought to combat this by beefing up cybersecurity, it seems like an impossible battle to win.
Perhaps the only thing that can be done in the face of this is to avoid at all costs providing personal data when you are not sure that it is a trustworthy institution or even ask for advice from a computer specialist.
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