Shopping through online stores has long been on the rise in Brazil, with many users eagerly waiting for their orders to be delivered to their homes. However, this excitement is also a perfect opportunity for scammers on digital platforms.
A new wave of old scams has begun to circulate in the country in recent weeks, taking advantage of this trend. Since last Thursday (18), there have been reports on social media of many people receiving SMS messages, both tempting and suspicious, regarding alleged orders.
A bulk withdrawal is an attempt to deceive the consumer and, as a result, convince you to make a false transfer to the scammers.
How does SMS fraud work?
The plan is the same in almost all cases reported by those who escaped or became victims of scammers. Initially, it includes: an SMS message sent as if it were sent by post.
The message from the instant trigger service is quite objective, with only a few digits in the phone number. Normally, Indicates that you have an order that has been stopped or taxed by the IRS and need to pay tax to proceed until delivery.
Immediately, The message contains an address for you to click and calculate the score. Here’s what you should be suspicious about: The links include sites with generic names that don’t actually exist, such as “novorastreioonline,” “taxas postalbrasil,” and “correiostaxas.app.”
The timing is ripe for this type of scam: aside from recent promotions like Amazon’s Prime Day, these are the last days for shopping from Chinese websites without the new taxes imposed by the Federal Government and the payment of fees still pending, which is exactly the theme of many of the messages.
“Since this new tax issue is current, there are those who do not know how to collect this new tax. Scammers Take advantage of this lack of information and distribute it as a postal service“It provides some credibility to the victim in terms of financial fraud,” explains cybersecurity expert Renato Borbolla. TecMundo.
There are reports that you are directed to a page when you click on the link. Simulating the Correios website and requesting payment via PixThis accusation is false, does not involve real purchases, and the money goes to scammers.
No sooner said than done!
This is a scam!!! ??
When you open this site, which is indicated as “correios Taxa .app” in the SMS, it directs you to a fake invoice and payment link. (I did not click on the link, I accessed it directly from my browser). pic.twitter.com/wKvBec8mec— ?°? ??????????????? ??. .???°? (@dehmagochi) July 22, 2024
Besides, It is possible for pages to request personal data even start the download process, you need to be extra careful; This could lead to malware being installed on the devicebut this does not appear to be the case.
The scam is likely a phishing campaign by a criminal group. Many Brazilians have been affected by the messages, as reports on social networks such as X (formerly Twitter) show.
Scam alert: Online shoppers should be careful of these types of SMS, customs storage information is on the CORREIOS website. I did not fall for this as I have not bought anything online recently, do not click on these links. pic.twitter.com/lKSrwSehBz
— Nathalinda (@venlafaxina150) July 18, 2024
Be careful of this scam guys ????
The fee is very high, but do not click on SMS links and check the official postal website to see if the information is correct. pic.twitter.com/IaC5mhN4mw— billy bodi (@iambillybodi) July 22, 2024
Friends, pay attention here!
??Beware of new email scams.
My mom received an SMS saying her shopping was taxed and when you click on the link you can see that it is a fake post office site and it will generate a payment code for you. Always check the domain of the official website. pic.twitter.com/iwg9gwbW8h— Otakus Brazilian Store (@obr_shop) July 23, 2024
Friends, I receive MANY scam sms saying my items are stopped at the post office or I am taxed, collectors be very careful and check the senders; If you have any questions, please log in to your official post account pic.twitter.com/dYqdI7F8Ix
— n?th?li?7 (@jooniepotter) July 23, 2024
So how do scammers know you’ve bought something and, in some cases, call the person by name? “There’s a high probability that scammers will take advantage any exposed API or vulnerable delivery and tracking services website“, guesses Renato.
So far, there is no technical information about this scam, but there are several reports from Brazilians of data leaks that can include phone numbers linked to information such as name and city, which can make the job of criminals easier, whether it is the case in 2021 or the incident recorded in recent days.
Don’t fall for these scams
The main advice here is not to trust SMS messages. This form of communication is already considered outdated and unsafe, and is a target for scammers. As Renato points out, free online SMS sending services only ask for the victim’s number and message before sending.
When you receive such a message on your mobile phone, Avoid clicking on links and be wary of sites with potentially fraudulent URLsjust like the current situation.
According to a note sent from the post office TecMundo“The state-owned company called the Federal Police”as soon as they learned about the coup attempt“.
The company emphasizes that it does not communicate with customers via WhatsApp and advises them to always use the official Correios website and its official profiles on social media. Questions may be asked regarding international deliveries Through the Minhas Importações portal or in official app for mobile devices.
You can also ask questions to the Customer Service Centre at 3003-0100 (capital cities and metropolitan areas) and 0800 725 7282 (other locations).
Source: Tec Mundo
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