How cybercriminals are using 'gift card trap' to get your personal data

While legitimate apps like Tokenfire and Swagbucks buy card codes from vendors, to then give them to clients as a reward for certain activities, CyberCriminals have apparently recognised the popularity of such websites and have decided to deceive users using a simple algorithm.

"The success of these new fraud schemes is based on criminals exploiting the drive of users to get something for free," Lyubov Nikolenko of Kaspersky Lab said in a statement this week.

"However, at best they will spend hours of personal time doing worthless tasks, and at worst lose money without receiving anything in return. So, if you want to get your hands on a free gift card, try to earn it on legal and trustworthy sites," Nikolenko added.

When on the fake site, the user is asked to select the gift card he/she wants in order to receive the code.

After that, the fraudulent mechanism is set in motion. To get the generated code, however, the user needs to prove that he/she is not a robot.

To do this, the user has to follow the suggested link and complete various tasks, the number and type of which are determined by the partner network to which the user is redirected.

How to protect your phone against Xafecopy malware that's stealing money from you

2017  has witnessed numerous ransomware and malware attacks. The new malware Xafecopy Trojan, which steals money from mobile phone users, has been recently detected by a Russia-based internet security firm Kaspersky.  What's alarming is that the penetration rate reveals  40 per cent of the malware's targets has been in India.

The Xafecopy Trojan is categorised as a malware because it gets side loaded along with other useful apps and then loads malicious code onto the device.

Here is how the Xafecopy Trojan works:

The major entry point for any malware or ransomware is the installation of unverified apps from unknown sources. While the default setting of most smartphones restricts installing any app from an unknown source, the setting can easily be changed by the user.

Once the unverified app affected with Xafecopy Trojan or any other malware is installed and activated in the mobile phone, they spread in the root files of the smartphone and operate discreetly.

The Xafecopy malware clicks on web pages with Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) billing - a form of mobile payment that required no credit/debit card information or CAPTCHA for security. The cost of purchases made through WAP billing is charged directly through the user’s bill.
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