Russians warned about Trojan with fake push notifications from banks

The virus penetrates devices through phishing links sent by attackers via email or instant messaging. At the same time, pop-up notifications visually resemble official messages from banks.

SafeTech director Denis Kalemberg told the publication that the scheme is as follows: the Trojan, when it enters a smartphone, locks the screen and generates fake messages about debits. At that point, the victim receives a call from a scammer posing as a bank employee and demanding payment information under the pretext of protecting their funds.

The attackers then trick you into logging into your online bank or ask you to transfer funds yourself to a “secure account.” However, according to Kalamberg, to get rid of the virus, it is usually enough to reset the phone’s basic settings.

All victims of this scheme are owners of Android smartphones without antivirus, clarified the Association for the Development of Financial Education (ARFG). They suggested that the Trojan entered the phone because a person downloaded unlicensed software or visited an infected website.

To protect data, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation recommends not clicking on suspicious links, installing antivirus programs and not sharing personal data with anyone, including SMS codes and push notifications.

Kaspersky Lab emphasized that it is necessary to maintain digital hygiene: download applications only from trusted sources and install security solutions on all devices.