In a seizure order, the US Secret Service reveals how perpetrators stole $34,000 using fake emails for antivirus programs.
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The now-executed seizure warrant was filed by Special Agent Jollif of the United States Secret Service (USSS) to recover funds stolen through a fake Norton, which led the perpetrator to gain access to the computer and bank account.
According to the court document, the stolen money is stored in a Chase bank account belonging to someone named “Bingsong Zhou,” who is linked to scams pretending to be Norton Antivirus subscription renewals.
These scam emails claim that the recipient is about to be charged for the renewal of an Antivirus program subscription license and that they should call the number listed to cancel it.
The victim calls the phone number listed in the email and from there, the scammers instruct them to perform various actions, such as installing remote access software on their computers, infecting them with malware, and entering their credentials on a fake page.
This form of fraud has been going on for many years, but Jollif reported that activity has recently increased greatly.
One of the incidents mentioned in the court document involves a victim who received a phishing email on November 28, 2023, informing him that he would be charged $349.95 for a Norton antivirus subscription unless he canceled the charge.
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After contacting the scammers, the victim was tricked into giving them remote access to his laptop, supposedly to ensure the $349.95 was returned to his account.
At that point, the scammer claimed that $34,000 was mistakenly refunded and the victim was asked to return the amount to avoid legal trouble.
The victim complied with the instruction, seeing that his bank account now had a new deposit of $34,000 which he assumed came from Norton.
In reality, the scammer placed a blue screen over the regular screen so that the victim could not see his actions and transferred $34,000 from his own Mutual Fund (savings) Account to the scammer's account.
After the fraud was recognized, on December 7, JP Morgan Chase restricted Zhou's access to funds in his accounts, and those funds were transferred to a bank- controlled escrow account .
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Jollif's application seeks to seize the $34,000 derived from Zhou's activities, considering it to be possible ill-gotten gains.
Zhou now faces charges of fraud by misuse and participation in mail fraud, and may also face charges of possible money laundering, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
See also: 20% of malware attacks bypass antivirus protection
An antivirus program can improve the security of our digital world by actively protecting against viruses and other harmful software. This is done by detecting, identifying, and removing threats before they can cause damage to the system. In addition, antivirus programs offer protection against malware, which can steal personal information or cause other forms of damage. This is achieved by continuously monitoring and analyzing the behavior of applications and files on the computer.
Antivirus programs also offer protection against phishing attacks, which aim to steal your credentials through fraud. This is done by identifying and blocking dangerous websites and emails.
Finally, antivirus programs can improve the security of our digital world by offering firewall. This means they can prevent unwanted connections to the network, offering an extra layer of security.
Source: bleepingcomputer
