Study: SMS scams up sixfold in Romania in 2023

The number of smishing attacks in Romania increased more than six times in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to an internal analysis conducted by sendSMS.

Smishing attacks are similar to phishing attacks but use SMS messages to deceive potential victims. In most cases, users need to access a link and go to a fake website, created specifically to steal confidential details (such as card data or bank application credentials). In other cases, users are tricked into installing malware on their mobile devices.

In the first months of this year, 75% of smishing cases attempted identity theft by using a custom tag (sender’s name) to mislead users that messages are sent by various companies.

Globally, 39% of consumers experienced at least one attempt of SMS scam in 2023, according to a study by the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF), a trade association in the telecommunications industry.

“sendSMS filters daily smishing attacks and alerts ING to block fraudulent messages, before being sent on behalf of the bank. We enjoy this collaboration, which further helps us to be proactive and protect our customers’ data,” said Alin Becheanu, Head of Fraud Monitoring and Prevention, ING Bank Romania.

According to sendSMS analyses over the last three years, most smishing scams in Romania target the banking sector (56%), the courier industry (25%), and telecommunications services (15%).

To prevent falling victim to smishing scams, first, beware of the sender of the message. Companies that use SMS communication and marketing use a sender ID, which means that the sender will display the company name instead of a phone number.

People are also recommended not to respond to urgent or threatening messages, typically used by attackers, and never install programs on the phone or perform banking operations, following requests made through messages. Users must also pay attention to the web pages where they are redirected and if they click on a malicious link, reset the phone to the original factory settings.

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