Meta, the company that owns the WhatsApp messaging application, may soon activate new technology that will identify fraudulent or dangerous messages from unknown numbers.

Scams via messaging or cell phone calls have increased in recent months. Meta’s strategy focuses on the security of its platform users, preventing their sensitive data from being compromised or stolen.

WhatsApp will send a notification to users “if it detects potential fraudulent messages with a new optional tool, which the company is currently working on.” According to the specialized portal WABetaInfo, the test is being conducted in the beta version of the Android application (v2.26.22.2).

It’s a proprietary technology tool that analyzes incoming messages from unknown contacts directly on the user’s device. If it detects what could be a scam, it “allows the user to choose what they want to do: block and report the sender or continue the conversation.”

An important detail is that, because it operates on the user’s own device, the message analysis “does not send any information to other servers, not even those of Meta – WhatsApp’s parent company –” thus ensuring privacy with end-to-end encryption.

The tool will be optional and will be disabled by default. It runs in the background, without interrupting user activity, and includes a history showing when and how the alert was triggered.

M.Pino

Source: elnacional

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Football fans are eagerly anticipating the 2026 World Cup. However, the sporting event is becoming a hotbed of fraudulent activity aimed at deceiving the public with dubious offers.

In several countries, warnings have been issued about the sale of counterfeit collectible albums and stickers, particularly in cases of street purchases, without any commercial backing. Despite the buyer’s responsibility, this is an act of bad faith towards fans who trust in acquiring genuine items at low prices.

On the other hand, there are accommodation offers at prices that suggest a scam. In these cases, the recommendation is to look for packages from verified tour operators and establish direct contact with the company to avoid falling victim to scams.

A greater risk of being deceived lies in online promotions and offers for items related to soccer teams, such as jerseys, caps, team bags, and sports brands.

Cybercriminals take advantage of this to lead internet users down false paths and install malicious software to steal personal information for criminal purposes.

Prevention and common sense

It is important to remain alert to any indication of dubious offers or promotions. Ideally, avoid accessing unknown websites, pop-up windows that appear automatically while browsing, and emails from unknown or unverified senders.

Likewise, be wary of incredible offers; that is, promotions that are, even, ridiculous.

Remember that no platform can request passwords or banking information. Sending authentication codes is essential during online searches to protect sensitive data.

M.Pino

With information from national and international media

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Cybercriminals have found that using artificial intelligence allows them to enhance their scams, making their deceptions more realistic and harder to detect. Recently, fake videos have surfaced impersonating internationally renowned figures, such as Lionel Messi or the CEO of a major organization.  However, these scams also occur on a smaller scale, such as targeting a school principal in the United States. ESET, a leading proactive threat detection company, reviews some of the cases where deepfakes were the main tool used in scams that resulted in millions of dollars in losses or the compromise of sensitive information.

Deepfake is an artificial intelligence-based technique for synthesizing human images to create fake content from scratch, using existing videos or even just a still image. They are designed to replicate the appearance and voice of a real person.

“With the evolution of Artificial Intelligence, these videos and audio recordings seem increasingly real. Many exploit the image of public figures or well-known entities to say something false, as part of a scam that aims to obtain money or sensitive information,” says Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, Head of the ESET Latin America Research Lab.

ESET compiled amazing, truly real, and recent cases

Lionel Messi: The Argentine football player is one of the most recognized personalities worldwide. In this case, cybercriminals exploited his popularity to carry out a deepfake scam, promoting an app that promised suspiciously high and irresistible earnings. The app in question was called “Wildcat Dive,” and in the fake video, Messi claimed it was one of his main sources of income and that it had helped many people earn money. Through advertisements on the social network Instagram, the cybercriminals distributed snippets of a fabricated interview, which was based on a real interview the footballer had given to a well-known Argentine streaming program.

Arup: In early 2024, the architectural firm that designed the Sydney Opera House and the Etihad Stadium, Arup, made headlines when a financial employee at the company’s Hong Kong office received a video call from (allegedly) the company’s CFO. The result of the meeting was 15 transfers totaling over $25 million. The bad news is that it was actually a deepfake, so the transfers had not been approved by anyone in the company.

Ferrari: In this case, cybercriminals attempted a deepfake voice scam, impersonating Benedetto Vigna, the CEO of the automotive company. In July 2024, using voice imitation, they tried to convince the company’s finance executives to make a large money transfer. One of the employees became suspicious and asked a question that the AI ​​used in the scam could not answer correctly. Not only did this attack fail, but it prompted Ferrari to reinforce its employee training to prevent similar scams in the future.

WPP: One of the world’s largest advertising companies was also the target of a scam attempt involving a deepfake. In mid-2024, cybercriminals used a fake WhatsApp account, a voice recording, and YouTube footage of a virtual meeting to impersonate the company’s CFO, Mark Read. The malicious actors organized a meeting via Microsoft Teams, under the pretext of creating a new company, and used this as a lure to obtain money and sensitive personal data from the company. According to WPP, this attack was unsuccessful thanks to the company’s vigilance and the training its employees received to detect these scams.

School in Baltimore: Not only high-profile companies are targeted by deepfakes. In this case, a school principal was heard making racist and antisemitic comments. The incident went viral (over 2 million views) and resulted in death threats against the educator. After an investigation, local police confirmed that the audio was a fake, manipulated with AI.

Elon Musk: A cryptocurrency investment scam used Elon Musk’s image to spread ads on X and YouTube, promoting supposed investment opportunities that promised high returns on Bitcoin. The ads included a link to a fraudulent website where unsuspecting users were asked to make initial deposits to participate in the alleged investment. According to the US Federal Trade Commission, the scam, which included deepfakes, resulted in losses of over $80 million for more than 7,000 victims who believed in the supposed investment.

President Zelensky: Politics was also affected by deepfake scams. In March 2022, during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, a fake video circulated showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urging his troops to surrender. The president responded almost immediately with a genuine video posted on his official channels.

While deepfake scams are becoming increasingly realistic and difficult to detect, ESET shares some best practices to reduce the risk of falling victim to these types of scams

• Be wary of eye-catching advertisements that offer an opportunity for easy and unrealistic gains. Also be suspicious of those that feature well-known celebrities.
• Pay attention to the video quality: if there are visual glitches, poor synchronization, or low resolution, it is likely a deepfake.
• Use security software on all devices to help block fake websites and emails containing malicious content.
• For businesses, it is important to not authorize payments solely based on a phone call or video call. Consider using keywords or internal codes as an additional verification method.
• Continuous training is essential: being trained to recognize the warning signs of deepfakes and scams is another key practice.
• Take advantage of the tools currently available to detect deepfakes and combat misinformation.

ESET invites you to learn more about cybersecurity by visiting: https://www.welivesecurity.com/es/.

For additional useful preventative information, visit ESET’s website in Venezuela: https://www.eset.com/ve/, and follow them on social media @eset_ve. Also on Instagram (@esetla) and Facebook (ESET).

Information and images courtesy of ESET and Comstat Rowland

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The Superintendency of Banking Institutions (Sudeban) of Venezuela warned citizens about the increase in digital fraud, urging users to remain vigilant and implement appropriate safeguards to avoid falling victim to scams.

Through an alert on its social media, Sudeban reported on cybercriminals’ strategies to obtain citizens’ personal and banking information and thus carry out their criminal acts.

The agency mentioned fraudulent phone calls, deceptive text messages, as well as the receipt of links via email or social media that impersonate financial institutions and fake promotions through Telegram or WhatsApp intended to attract victims with attractive offers.

 

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Una publicación compartida por SUDEBAN (@sudebaninforma)

Sudeban warned online banking users and urged them to follow the advice of cybersecurity experts to avoid placing their data in the hands of digital criminals. In this regard, it emphasized the importance of not sharing financial information through any of the aforementioned means. It also emphasized the importance of verifying the authenticity of any messages received and making inquiries only through official channels of banking institutions and similar entities.

M.Pino

With information from national media and social media

(Reference image source: FlyD on Unsplash

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Online file conversion programs could be used to commit scams, steal information, spread infected files or use data for illicit purposes, according to a recent FBI warning.

The US security agency has issued an alert in this regard, referring to such digital tools as a possible weapon against users.

Usually, people turn to PDF to Word or JPG file converters. Among the recommendations to people who need to use these programs is not to use the first one they find on the Internet, but rather to prefer, for example, the Premium version of Adobe Acrobat.

In this way, according to the FBI, it is possible to avoid the activation of malware that cybercriminals hide in apparently defenseless versions of online converters.

By processing files in this way, viruses are loaded onto computers, causing cases of ransomware. But it is not the only way to attack users; The FBI also indicates that they can do this through tools to download videos or convert MP4 to MP3.

In that case, converters can return the document with JavaScript code that exploits a vulnerability or also installs commands on the device.

In the process of sending a file to convert and receive the one the client wants, digital criminals also keep the client’s information, since they can scrutinize the content and find an email address, address, phone number or, worse still, banking information, passwords, photos.

In short, everything that normally goes on a CV for a job. Hence, the FBI’s warning to carefully select the digital tools used to convert files, download or share information.

M.Pino

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