Typo Squatting Led to £22m Cyber Fraud

Regional Cyber Briefing

PRESS RELEASE: Six arrests as part of £22 million cyber fraud investigation

In an investigation led by the SW RCCU and Dutch police, six people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the theft of more than £22 million worth of cryptocurrency from an estimated four thousand-plus victims worldwide. Read more on the SWROCU website at:
https://www.swrocu.org.uk/22/section.aspx/21/six_arrests_as_part_of_22million_cyber_fraud_investigation

We are also urging potential victims to get in touch with us. Further information can be found at:
https://www.swrocu.org.uk/22/section.aspx/21/victims_of_bitcoin_theft_urged_to_come_forward

Typo Squatting/URL Spoofing

Criminals will set up a fake URL/website which looks and acts like a legitimate website, but is actually set up to steal sensitive information.

In our investigation above, a well-known online cryptocurrency exchange was 'spoofed' - or recreated to imitate the genuine site - to gain access to victims' bitcoin wallets, stealing their funds and login details.

Criminals can rely on people mistyping certain URLs, or link to the fake domains through email/text/social media etc.

> Be sure that you're on the correct website
- Check the URL of the website (e.g. misspellings or variations of phrasing, and misleading domain endings like 'orguk.com')
- Consider bookmarking important websites

> HTTPS
- Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) indicates that a site uses encryption to prevent attackers from intercepting data. However, be aware it does not always mean that a site is 100% genuine. As you browse, ensure that the 'S' on HTTPS persists across pages.

> Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
- 2FA offers an extra layer of protection when logging into accounts by generating an additional code to use when logging in. Enable 2FA on all online accounts to increase security.

> Educate your staff to defend against common cyber threats/exploits, for example:
- Phishing - see the NCSC's guide on this at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/phishing.
- Social engineering - the Take Five campaign / CyberAware

> If you think you have been a victim of this or any other type of cyber crime, please report it
All reports help to build vital intelligence which can be shared and acted upon across law enforcement. It also helps inform awareness campaigns to be as accurate and effective as possible. We always encourage victims to report the crime to ActionFraud via phone (0300 123 2040) or website (https://www.actionfraud.police.uk).

Buy with Confidence Pop-up - The Hayridge Centre, Cullompton, 3rd July

This event will offer tailored support to help local businesses grow with a range of topics on offer. Our protect team will be on hand to talk through how businesses can protect themselves against cyber crime. Details for the event can be found at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pop-up-business-advice-cafe-tickets-62649395027 .

We're looking to run our Decisions and Disruptions workshop in Cornwall during the Cornwall Festival of Business (w/c 28th October). If you would be happy to offer us a venue to facilitate the event, please get in touch with us and let us know!

FCA ScamSmart
The Financial Conduct Authority's ScamSmart site can help you determine whether an investment opportunity is genuine, or if it's best avoided. https://www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart

Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) Cybersecurity Toolkit
The GCA hosts a toolkit for small to medium-sized businesses to enable business owners to reduce the cyber risks they face. The resource can be found at https://gcatoolkit.org/smallbusiness/

Current Threats

Advice

Events

Calling all Cornwall based organisations!

News

Useful Links