In recent years we have all become ever more aware of the threat posed by online fraudsters and have become more sceptical when we receive emails purporting to be from Bpost, courier companies or a bank. With the public becoming ever more streetwise when it comes to online fraud, cybercriminals are using ever more cunning methods to get hold of personal data about us and our families. The criminals trawl the internet to pick up any information they can use in their efforts to defraud their victims. As well still using bogus bank sites cybercriminal are increasingly using shopping sites to get hold of their victims’ bank details through the practice of phishing.
Speaking earlier this week in an interview with VRT Radio 2’s consumer affairs programme ‘De inspecteur’, the ethical hacker Inti De Ceukeleire said authenticity is the key to success for online hackers.
"The term used for this is spear phishing: they approach you in a very personal way. But they can only do this if they have a lot of information about you.For example, about your parcel, your hobby or your family members".
Data leaks and dishonest employees
But how are the fraudsters able to get hold of your personal data? "In the meantime, many years have passed during which data about us has been spread in various ways”.
"During the past 10 years alone, there were several big data leaks. In addition to this, hackers consciously attack companies that possess a lot of personal data about people. This data is then put online or is sold to fraudsters. On top of this there are dishonest employees of companies such as call centres that sell data to fraudsters”.
Information about each and every one of us can be found online, be it who we bank with, which energy supplier we use or which telephone company we are a customer with.
Does this mean that our data is given insufficient protection?
Inti De Ceukeleire told ‘De inspecteur’ that "It is not necessarily the case that our data is less well protected, but we have become more vulnerable. Cyber security has improved, certainly compared with, for example, the 1990s. But at the same time there is simply more to hack because we are online more. We work from home, make online purchases, make love, socialise, … and all that we do online. Consequently, the pond in which online fraudsters can fish is getting bigger and bigger”.
Inti De Ceukeleire gave a couple of examples of how this is the case. "As a result of us working from home we are using our laptop more and more for a mixture of work and private use. This makes it easier for fraudsters to get hold of both private personal data about a person and information about the company they work for. Fraudsters also able to hide behind profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Marktplaats and Vinted”.
But what are the most commonly used forms of online fraud?
Inti De Ceukeleire told the VRT that "During the past couple of years we have been ordering more and more parcels through the post. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the fraudsters, and they are of course misusing it. More and more phishing is being done via online shopping”.
"A second popular method is through a person’s bank details. Fraudsters collect as much contextual information about you and your family, like if you have a power of attorney for someone or your son or daughter’s bank account. This information enables them to appear more credible to their victim”.
Inti De Ceukeleire predicts that instances of online fraud will only continue to increase due to “technical advances, the economic recession and the impunity with which this kind of criminal operates”.