Scammers are using iPhone’s built-in text messenger app to send mass texts in a phishing scheme targeting Apple users, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said last week.
The messages appear to come from Chunghwa Telecom informing users that they can claim a new subscription deal, or warning them about an unpaid parking meter fee from Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co, the bureau said.
Once victims click on the link embedded in the message, they are directed to a Web page and tricked into divulging banking information that the scammers use to siphon money from their accounts or exploit them in other ways, it said.
Photo: Yao Yueh-hung, Taipei Times
The scheme has claimed multiple victims, including an interior designer surnamed Chang (張) and a homemaker surnamed Wang (王), who lost NT$310,000 and NT$230,000 respectively, it added.
Chang received a text message saying the accumulated bonus points of his telecom subscription were about to expire and he can claim a reward of about NT$5,000 by entering personal information into a Web site, the bureau said.
The sender of the text was identified by a telephone number starting with +66, which is Thailand’s country code, while the Web site belonged to a Chinese domain, it said.
Chang said the Web page froze as soon as he clicked enter, followed by a call from his bank that four suspicious withdrawals were made from his account, it said.
Meanwhile, Wang received a text message saying that she owed a NT$50 parking fee and that she should pay immediately or face a NT$500 fine, the bureau said.
The victim was directed to a fake Far Eastern Toll Collection Web site and followed the instructions to enter her personal information, cellphone number, credit card number and payment credentials, resulting in money being siphoned off her account, it said.
People should be wary of text messages supposedly sent by Taiwanese businesses or entities, but are identified by a foreign phone number, it said, adding that Taiwan’s country code — visible in the caller ID on iMessage — is +886.
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