THE cybercriminals take advantage of the rising cost of living, inflation and economic uncertainties to target individuals via messaging appsextracting sometimes considerable sums from them, depending on Kaspersky. At MoroccoTHE victims of scams by courier lose on average $504.28, or nearly 5,000 dirhams, a sum that could have been spent on essential expenses such as food or energy bills.
The study also highlights that nearly 8% of Moroccan victims declare having lost more than 1,350 dollars, worsening their financial situation in a context marked by increasing pressure on purchasing power.
Globally, the economic impact is colossal. With nearly 3 billion messaging app users, if only 10% of them are victims of a scamlosses could exceed $219.9 billion, estimates Kaspersky.
Largely under-reported fraud
The report also highlights a significant reporting gap. In Morocco, only 18.4% of victims report the facts to the police, while 16.8% contact their bank. Result: a large part of losses escapes official statistics, which contributes to underestimating the real extent of the phenomenon.
Increasingly organized crime
THE Kaspersky researchers note a worrying acceleration in scams. More than half (52%) of frauds identified occurred in the last five months. Even more alarming, 28% of those surveyed say they have been targeted at least three times, a sign that these scams are no longer the result of isolated initiatives but of organized and industrialized crime.
For most victims, the last attempt was less than six months ago.
False investment opportunities in mind
In Morocco, the most widespread scams are:
- THE investment scams (54%);
- THE brand identity theft (45.6%);
- THE fake deliveries (31.6%).
These scams faithfully reproduce the communication codes of banks, companies or delivery platforms in order to inspire confidence and push victims to act urgently.
Internationally, the study shows that Millennials are particularly targeted by fake investment opportunities, with cybercriminals exploiting their concerns related to purchasing power, housing and the search for additional income.
Urgent measures to limit the economic impact of messaging scams
THE email scams have become a real macroeconomic issue. They lead to a gradual and silent erosion of household financial resources, weaken their economic resilience, destabilize households, weaken confidence in digital services and weigh on national economies. This is no longer just a cybersecurity problem, but an economic security issue.
Faced with the constant evolution of these scams, Kaspersky underlines the need to act in a sustainable and coordinated manner. The company recommends that individuals adopt the following good practices:
- Protect your devices in real time : install a comprehensive security solution, such as Kaspersky Premium, capable of detecting and blocking malicious links and phishing attempts in real time on applications and websites used every day. On mobile, a new layer of anti-phishing protection also analyzes suspicious links present in notifications before any interaction.
- Strengthen your password management : use a password manager, such as Kaspersky Password Manager, to store your credentials securely and automatically fill them in on websites, applications and different devices.
- Become aware of digital scams : inform yourself and your loved ones about the main messaging scam techniques as well as the warning signs that help you identify them.
- Invest in suitable protection tools : Companies can deploy advanced monitoring solutions, such as Kaspersky Brand Monitoring, to detect fraudulent uses of their brand on social networks, online marketplaces and parts of the dark web, thus facilitating investigations and actions to remove fraudulent content.
“Messaging scams quietly deprive households of financial resources even though they are already facing severe economic pressure,” says Marc RiveroLead Security Researcher within Kaspersky’s Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT). “This highly organized and industrialized fraud targets users at high speed and scale across all messaging channels. With billions of messaging app users worldwide, its economic impact can no longer be ignored. To reduce risk, everyone should always review any unsolicited messages through official channels before sharing personal information or making a payment, while keeping security software on all of their devices up to date. Businesses, for their part, would benefit from investing in detection and monitoring capabilities to quickly identify and put an end to attempts to impersonate their brand. »
