Yahoo Finance ‘Malicious’: Millions of Aussies warned amid hacking threat
Australians have been warned against inadvertently downloading “malicious” software that could lead to their personal devices being remotely hacked.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has issued an alert about scammers purporting to be calling from them and attempting to trick unsuspecting people into downloading the software.
The scammer, pretending to be an ASCS employee, claims the victim’s computer has been compromised.
“These malicious callers are known as ‘remote access scammers’ and they request individuals to download ‘TeamViewer’ or ‘AnyDesk’ onto their device to help resolve the malware issue,” the ASCS alert said.
The scammer attempts to convince victims to access their online banking service, which reveals banking information to the scammer.
The scammer then has access to transfer funds away from the victim’s account.
And if caller ID shows the call appears to be from a ‘legitimate’ institution, don’t believe everything you see – hackers use technology to fake this.
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What should you do if you get this call?
The first thing you should do is hang up, the ASCS said.
“NEVER provide your personal and financial details or give a stranger remote access to your device or computer.”
Government agencies, such as the ATO or police departments, will never ask you for remote access to use your computer or transfer your funds for investigation.
“If you’re in doubt about a call claiming to be from a government agency or Australian business and want to verify its legitimacy, contact the organisation by sourcing their details separately from their website, NOT using the phone number or other details from the incoming call,” said ASCS.
If the cyber criminal has accessed your computer remotely through Team Viewer, Zoho Assist or AnyDesk, let ReportCyber know and notify your bank immediately to get a temporary freeze on your bank accounts.
If you receive a suspicious call, report it to Scamwatch and the government agency the caller is pretending to be from.
You can also report a cyber crime or cyber security incident to ReportCyber.
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