New means of installing spywares on your devices

[DubemIfedigbo001]

There is a trending pattern used by scammers recently, a lot of people have fallen for it already without knowing and it is very easy for unsuspecting and less tech savvy people to fall for it, now the most dangerous feature of it all is that the spyware stays on your device unknown to you, even when you've recognized they're scammers.

What is a spyware?
Spyware. Although it sounds like a James Bond gadget, it’s actually a type of malware that infects your PC or mobile device and gathers information about you, including the sites you visit, the things you download, your usernames and passwords, payment information, and the emails you send and receive.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/spyware

They are on various platforms and their format is this:
They take their time to monitor users involvements, their profiles and the type of job you do for a living. Then they chat you up to inform you of a job opening and their desire to have you on their team, they go ahead to tell you the remuneration/wage which is always moderate to calm down your suspicion. They will have you get into a bargain with them about your value and then you guys agree on something feasible as your pay.

Next they send you some links to go through their website or websites to see the kind of service they offer(meanwhile those sites aren't always theirs, but sites of reputable companies they use to get their victims interested), and sometimes to the GitHub repositories if you're technical. They finally proceed to proposing an interview or a meetup with the team.

                                   NOW THIS IS WHERE THE MAIN SCAM IS

They send you another link to the interview or a link to check out the site or app and a code to get access to it. As soon as you follow suit, you'll be requested to put in the code, do not try it. As soon as you enter the code they gave you earlier, the page starts loading, most times it fails, and you will retry it because you really want to get the job. now during the loading time, the spywares are being installed on your device and they will be monitoring your device remotely as soon as it comes on and sending feedback of all activities to the scammers. Whatever you do is monitored by them, your bank transactions, wallet activities. If you import an existing wallet in that device, your seed phrases are already in their possession.

After the agreed time for the work elapses, they will not pay you and you will know it's a scam, you will proceed to delete the app or log out of their website, cut all ties you have with them, but the spywares they planted on your device is still performing its duties until a complete maintenance is done on that device like flashing for phones and full OS reinstall for PC.

I have seen a victim of this evil act, the lady was claiming that she didn't give anybody her seed phrases or private keys, but her coins were wiped out twice. I immediately reinstalled the operating system, created a new wallet for her and enlightened her of these dangers as well as the precautions to take regarding the safety of her wallet and I've not heard such complaints for almost four months now. Just last week, they engaged a fellow developer with some cheap rant, he suspected the foul play and reached out to me, I confirmed his suspicion and when he told them he knew the games they were playing, they sent a laughing emoji and blocked him.

You'll need to be careful out there especially when engaging in web3 technologies. I asked him to do a video so we can show everyone that it's so real and here it is https://youtu.be/5gUOm2CB3xk?si=pOP78V9qX7HiJ4PB  

now next time you're invited for some interview, ensure to make your research whether such companies exist, whether it's a reputable one, if there is such opening in the company and if the recruiters are who they claim to be. You can send their representatives, contact their hiring manager and send the customer support a mail to be sure you're on the safer side.

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[DubemIfedigbo001]

reserved

[Frankolala]

OP, thanks for this information. These scammers don't get tired, they come up with different means to make people fall for them. I have heard of different employment scams but this one is different.

now next time you're invited for some interview, ensure to make your research whether such companies exist, whether it's a reputable one, if there is such opening in the company and if the recruiters are who they claim to be. You can send their representatives, contact their hiring manager and send the customer support a mail to be sure you're on the safer side.

How are you sure that this so called company that put Spyware on your pc or phone when you are on their interview, will not also have their customer representative to attend to you telling you that the job is legit. I think that it is better to apply on only reputable companies.

[DubemIfedigbo001]

OP, thanks for this information. These scammers don't get tired, they come up with different means to make people fall for them. I have heard of different employment scams it this one is different.

now next time you're invited for some interview, ensure to make your research whether such companies exist, whether it's a reputable one, if there is such opening in the company and if the recruiters are who they claim to be. You can send their representatives, contact their hiring manager and send the customer support a mail to be sure you're on the safer side.

How are you sure that this so called company that put Spyware on your pc or phone when you are on their interview, will not also have their customer representative to attend to you telling you that the job is legit. I think that it is better to apply on only reputable companies.

sure you apply only on reputable companies, but the question is how do you know a company is reputable  and catch the scammers tying to lure you to theirs?

It is very simple, when they attempt using the shells of reputable companies  and you contact the company through their official sites for such openings or offers, the real company will give you the actual information regarding the employment status of their company, again you can check if the company is a reputable one by checking for their trust ratings  on websites like url void and others, If it is an app, never use google play review to do your check  as the reviews are often bought.

you can also verify the presence of those companies on LinkedIn to see their level of prominence and engagement and if their profiles are optimized and properly verified and there you can contact the hiring managers directly if the company is really legitimate, their social media handles can also tell you a lot of their originality. Scammers do not go to that length as getting verifications on reputable platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram etc. before operating, their approaches are often cheap with lots of loopholes if you pay clear attention.

A scammer tried to scam me on Instagram last year on supposed package coming to me from UK through British airways delivery courier and gave me a fake package number. He even gave me a contact for the assumed customer representative in my country to pay some amount for clearance which I will get back as she placed some 2500 euros inside the package. I just logged into the correct site and entered the number and saw for myself that no such package exists. I even contacted their customer support and they confirmed to me that no such package was sent.

Scammers have a lot of loopholes in their activities, but we need to stop being easily impressed by filthy promises and research properly on their identity.

[hugeblack]

It is better to have a separate device for browsing, conducting interviews, and anything that does not relate to your bank accounts or privacy. Also, downloading random applications or clicking on those links may not only lead to downloading spyware, but also to more malware, Trojan horses, and others.

[Z390]

The one thing I knew about spyware is the users are the ones that give access to the hackers, they will make you drop some code and that's the only way they can be in control of your PC, if you are someone who is very careless you will become a victim faster, when it comes to keeping bank details and log in on PC make sure you don't use such PC for downloading and surfing any websites online, this type of PC is also good for operating crypto wallets but you need to be careful.

It's easier to make mistakes with PC, one moment your PC is virus free and the next moment you are infected, this is very annoying and that's why I find it hard to use any crypto wallet on PC, I go for airgapped solution for my crypto storage, and now I am free to do anything I want with my PC, as for my bank account I only use my phone to log into my bank account.

PC is very good for almost everything but it's not so safe, not even Linux can keep you away from these so called monitoring spirits online, Trojan, Malware, spyware, etc, PC have so many loopholes, even when fixed another will rise up again, it's better to be careful when using a PC, there is not much we can do than to be very careful.

[dzungmobile]

No OS can save you completely if you have bad practice. No Internet Security Software or Antivirus Software can save you entirely if you have bad practice.

So if you have good practice, you will be save. People have bad practice because they are too curious, want to explore new things. It makes them more careless with exploration and installations and consequently their devices will be infected with malicious things such as spyware.

Linux is better than Windows but as said, only an OS can not save you.

Bitcoin security and resources.

[DubemIfedigbo001]

It is better to have a separate device for browsing, conducting interviews, and anything that does not relate to your bank accounts or privacy. Also, downloading random applications or clicking on those links may not only lead to downloading spyware, but also to more malware, Trojan horses, and others.

Yes, that is the best practice, use separate devices for separation of  concerns for those that have the funds to get such, myself I use three(my Phone, my work Laptop and another laptop which I use for all my crypto transactions ). but we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that most people only have their phones as their only digital device and such people should put up good practices with extra caution not to be a victim of these viruses.

[lovesmayfamilis]

Unless you are offering yourself as a candidate for a job, receiving an invitation from someone should immediately raise red flags. The fact, as the OP says, that scammers start following someone should imply that the person they are interested in must have something that the scammers are interested in. This means that he somehow showed that he has something that can be taken away and stolen. Your tongue is your enemy! Don't chat everywhere; money loves silence.
But I would not want someone to help me create a crypto wallet as a service from the OP. As an aid, one could help the person deal with it on their own. Otherwise, the first person to come under suspicion is the well-wisher who helped create the wallet.

[teamsherry]

Unless you are offering yourself as a candidate for a job, receiving an invitation from someone should immediately raise red flags. The fact, as the OP says, that scammers start following someone should imply that the person they are interested in must have something that the scammers are interested in. This means that he somehow showed that he has something that can be taken away and stolen. Your tongue is your enemy! Don't chat everywhere; money loves silence.
But I would not want someone to help me create a crypto wallet as a service from the OP. As an aid, one could help the person deal with it on their own. Otherwise, the first person to come under suspicion is the well-wisher who helped create the wallet.

I agree with you on this,
I think the attack is too direct to be a random coincidence, how did they know the woman needed a job at that time and apart from that they seem to know a little about her already even before installing the malware on her device, like you said our tongue is our greatest enemy, I think this woman has been monitored for some time maybe through her post on social media or details she leaked, while I cam point hands on any direct cause but I just feel she played a role of disclosure in this attack, but anyway let everyone be more careful, scammers are getting innovative.

And malware cam also be installed on your device without them following you up, I've heard of people that download malware from wrong sites they entered, so we should be careful with links we click, you don't know what has been hacked or not. Stay safe 🙏

[albon]

This has happened many times here on the forum by some scammer members who solicit people into a job and offer an attractive salary to anyone who applies for the advertised position. After you contact one of these scammers, he will send you either a PDF file containing malicious codes or a website he created containing one of the applications that contain spyware to install on your device so that you can interview to be accepted to the false job that the scammer offered. Unfortunately, whoever makes the mistake of opening an unknown link or installing an application on his primary device that he uses for trading and investment matters containing all sensitive files and private information will have all of this eventually stolen, and the scammer will block him after stripping him of everything.

The temptations of these scammers should not deceive everyone looking for a job or a livelihood; they should not trust anyone unquestioningly and should know the necessary measures to secure themselves well in the crypto field.

[Text]

Many tactics are now being used by scammers, so it's important to always verify the companies you're applying to, especially for freelancers and those working remotely in the crypto space. Verification should not be limited to just one source; multiple sources and cross-checking should be performed to ensure accuracy.

The challenge lies in scammers trying to mimic reputable entities, but knowing how to filter them out is crucial. If we don't have separate devices for isolation, we can use different email addresses for trying out various platforms and also use different passwords.

[Alpha Marine]

now next time you're invited for some interview, ensure to make your research whether such companies exist, whether it's a reputable one, if there is such opening in the company and if the recruiters are who they claim to be. You can send their representatives, contact their hiring manager and send the customer support a mail to be sure you're on the safer side.

This is the most important thing. There are many forms of scams out there, you can't know everything but if you research and ask questions you would hardly fall for them.
Be careful about the kind of links you click and apps you have on your phone. A simple look at what an app has permission to do is also important. Be skeptical about a lot of things. Some apps ask for permission for stuff on your phone that has no relation to the app.

Aside from this, there are other job scams out there. Scams take many forms, so knowing one doesn't entirely make you safe. Don't just trust anything you see, do research, ask questions, and be sure of what you're doing before you do it. Jobs scams are also used to kidnap people, so it's very serious.

Also, if we figure out any scam on any platform, we need to report that page or account so it can be taken down so they won't scam more people.

[KiaKia]

It's only a fool that listens to whatever a stranger have to say online, either through PM or email, why would anyone believe such nonsense until they are asked to click on a link? Anyways there is always a first time to everything.

I have experienced something like this before, when I was new to windows computer, I can't remember how many times that my PC got attacked, I was luckily to have malware byte and few other security software installed on the PC, they alerted me of the dangers and I was forced to format my PC without moving out a single file.

I lost my good files this way until I changed my ways when I am online surfing the web, I don't trust anything or anyone online anymore, especially strangers that just pop up from nowhere, and they will claim that they have a good offer for you, don't ever listen to them and you will be fine.

[jrrsparkles]

A lot of apps that are reputed also kind of spyware but we hope that they are not going to sell these data to any individual who just use them straightaway and steals all your money but they just sell the data to advertising companies and make money.

A very few spyware has the capability to hide themselves completely from your device while most of them can be recognized if you give some attention to your app manager, like go through all the running apps and see if there is any app that is running without a name or icon which generally located at the end of the list or with different name pretending to be a notepad or keyboard or anything that you never installed and if you feel such app is present then uninstall them straightaway and better reset the device to get rid of them completely.

[Yamane_Keto]

I have seen a victim of this evil act, the lady was claiming that she didn't give anybody her seed phrases or private keys, but her coins were wiped out twice. I immediately reinstalled the operating system, created a new wallet for her and enlightened her of these dangers as well as the precautions to take regarding the safety of her wallet and I've not heard such complaints for almost four months now.

Here you are confusing spywares, which fall under passive attacks, where the purpose of these malwares is to track and record your data, and thus they tend to remain silent, and active attacks, which include trying to find out your private key to access your coins, and then you will truly know that there is something strange happens.

In the case of spywares, because everyone is spying, it is difficult to keep your data safe, as the antivirus may work as spyware. You need to use an open source OS, do not download any unknown apps, reduce GUI, start learning to use your device using the CLI, and monitor network activity, as any network activity Or Internet consumption is an indicator of spywares.

[ImThour]

To be honest, it's a cat and mouse race. It will never end, and one day, it might affect you too. I see you got to know about this trick before getting it on your system, however there are many who got to know about this after their systems were already infected with this shit. So, its basically a never ending cycle as one day, there will be some malware/spyware which might look like just another PDF file from your friend or colleague.

[Benedictare]

   Spywares are dangerous to us and so we need to avoid them by not clicking on suspected files or links,do not root your device , make regular use of anti-viruses and anti-malware software in other for your phone or computer's to be protected, scanning regularly will assist you in protecting your phone, update your password often and use two-factor authentication, security patches should always be applied.

   When you are suspicious of the attack quickly change your passcode and restart your phone and update your device and applications