Don’t click that link!
- The syndicate uses "phishing links", which are attractive links and messages to social media users. Once clicked, a victim's personal and account details fall right into the hackers' hands
- Another hacking technique involves pure guesswork, termed the "guessing technique", whereby they try to crack a user's name and password by randomly inputting different combinations
- For these, the hackers are using special apps like the "Dictionary Attack App"
Using the "add money" option of mobile financial services (MFS), several syndicates are looting money by hacking into users' online bank accounts and credit cards.
Since February, the cyber-crime division of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit has received complaints from users of at least five different banks, according to officials.
Within eight to 10 minutes of hacking the accounts, the hackers manage to transfer the money to their own MFS accounts, the officials said.
To accomplish this, the syndicate use "phishing links", which are attractive links and messages to social media users. Once clicked, a victim's personal and accounts details fall right into the hackers' hands.
Another hacking technique involves pure guesswork, termed the "guessing technique", whereby they try to crack a user's name and password by randomly inputting different combinations.
For these, the hackers are using special apps like the "Dictionary Attack App".
CTTC's cybercrime division has disclosed the findings after arresting three hackers in two separate drives, on charge of hacking an online bank account and credit cards of two more banks.
Based on information, CTTC arrested Omar Faruk (33) and Md Bachchu (27) from Chattogram and Rabby Islam (21) from Natore, Chatak Chakma, assistant commissioner of cybercrime division, told The Daily Star yesterday.
On February 18, Faruk gave confessional statement in court in a case filed with Pallabi Police Station on February 2. He said he was an expatriate who came back home last year.
During interrogation, Faruk and Bachchu admitted to have looted huge sums of money by hacking online bank accounts of a number of people, said investigators.
For the crime, the arrestees used store-bought pre-registered SIM cards, said a high official of CTTC unit.
After hacking a victim's account, Faruk would transfer the money to different MFS accounts, which were withdrawn by Bachchu, the official told this newspaper, requesting anonymity.
"We have come to know that Faruk learned the techniques from one of his neighbours, who has around four to five more members in the gang and is wanted in several cases filed over hacking MFSs," said AC Chatak Chakma.
"We are now conducting drives to arrest the other gang members," he said.
Meanwhile, it was known that Rabby started off as a social media hacker, said investigators.
The CTTC team arrested him on March 05. During interrogation, he admitted that he used to hack social media accounts and extorted money from victims before handing the accounts back again.
Recently, he started hacking credit cards using details collected from social media accounts of different people, said CTTC AC Chatak.
"Rabby was locally known as hacker Rabby. We've found two separate cases filed against him -- one under the narcotic control act and another under digital security act," he said.
Chatak also said Rabby has been involved with criminal activities since 2015.
On January 18, Rabby hacked credit cards of two separate banks and withdrew around Tk 80,000 and Tk 46,000, separately over three transaction.
AC Chatak Chakma said the option of including "add money" on MFS services has opened a loophole for hackers to exploit. Several groups have already become involved with crimes that make use of this, he said.
To stop this, "Users must set secure passwords, two-factor authentication and avoid using common passwords that match with personal or family details," said the officer.
Cyber Crime Division of CTTC also said they are so far getting complaints from users only. If bank authorities also come forward to work together then such crimes can be stopped.
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