Threats Without Borders - Issue 160
Threats Without Borders - Issue 160
Cybercrime Investigation Newsletter, Week ending December 10, 2023
Too much news commentary this week. I’ll be back next week with some absurd take that will result in my embarrassment, and pointed hate mail!
Verizon was tricked by a fake search warrant submitted by a law enforcement impersonator. I know the safeguards in place so this doesn’t happen. I can also see exactly how this could happen! An unfortunate occurrence for everyone involved. Hopefully the police impersonator…and stalker… gets 100 years in prison. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/verizon-fell-for-fake-search-warrant-gave-victims-phone-data-to-stalker/
Deputies in Sacramento, California observed a guy in a Target store putting a large amount of gift cards back on the shelf. Surprise! They had altered bar codes so when loaded with money the funds went into accounts controlled by the scammers. Surprise! He had 5000 more. https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-accused-sophisticated-theft-scheme-023143040.html
File this under “Don’t believe anything you see on the Internet”. Definitely not a Cool Tool. Unless, of course, you want a video of your favorite Eagles fan endlessly praising Dak Prescott. https://fakeface.io/
This survey and report by BeenVerified documents what has been suspected…fraudsters are reverting to telephony as fraud fighters make headways securing email. The report concludes that 71% of Americans reported an increase in scam phone calls and text messages over the past year and half of the survey takers say they receive scam messages everyday. The quality control of these surveys are hard to know, but it appears to be a fairly comprehensive study…2000 users pulled from all 50 states. https://www.beenverified.com/reverse-phone/phone-scam-statistics/
I realize that a franchise of the National Football League is a billion dollar enterprise but still…how do you not notice the misappropriation of 22 Million Dollars? Insider Threat Pro Tip: You need to start paying closer attention to an employee that shows up wearing a $95,000 watch and doesn’t spend Sundays on the playing field! https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/07/sport/former-jacksonville-jaguars-employee-accused-stealing-spt-intl/index.html
The men and woman of the United States Coast Guard certainly don’t get the credit they deserve. “Hey, lets jump on this mini-submarine made of fiberglass and superglue thats filled with cocaine and armed drug-runners while it’s adrift in high-seas”. No thank-you. https://www.yahoo.com/news/over-239-million-worth-cocaine-170522545.html
A look at the technology used by Postal Inspectors to catch mail thieves. https://www.404media.co/how-usps-uspis-catches-mail-thieves-gps-hidden-cameras-arrow-keys/
Better late than never. Security professionals, including your humble editor, have long been beating the drums about the dangers of QR Codes and the recent uptick in their usage to conduct phishing attacks. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wanted to remind us also. https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/12/scammers-hide-harmful-links-qr-codes-steal-your-information
Package delivery themed phishing emails are an ever-present nuisance to the inbox, but the attackers “bring the noise” during the holidays. Domain Tools is monitoring several United States Postal Service themed attacks and believe they are being sent (with love) from China. https://www.domaintools.com/resources/blog/merry-phishmas-beware-us-postal-service-phishing-during-the-holidays/
Sticking with QR code phishing attacks, Cofense reminds us that we should never click a QR Code until we know where it’s taking our device. https://cofense.com/blog/characteristics-of-a-qr-code-phishing-email/
More than 21,000 vehicles have been stolen in Philadelphia - just this year! Could it be because of the Kia Challenge? Nah, wait, could it?
https://www.inquirer.com/crime/car-theft-philadelphia-insurance-police-20231207.html
Cool Jobs
VP - Security and Risk Management for the Phoenix Suns. https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/PHO1000PHXSE/JobBoard/c249bb71-c106-49f4-9ae1-fd8f0173d326/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=0b84f460-c8b1-4003-a383-0212d2d0b7a1
Cool Tools
Review the financials of non-profit organizations. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/
Save yourself some time and get the quick summary of any Youtube video. https://www.videogist.co/
Irrelevant
The crazy economics of All-You-Can Eat buffets. Is it “all you can eat”, or “all you care to eat”? https://thehustle.co/the-economics-of-all-you-can-eat-buffets/
Proof by Verbosity is a logical fallacy that occurs when someone attempts to prove their point by using a large number of words, often in a complex manner, in an attempt to overwhelm the audience and make their point seem more convincing than it actually is. This type of fallacy is sometimes referred to as “argument by intimidation” because the speaker is trying to use their words to intimidate the audience into accepting their conclusion. - https://www.logicalfallacies.org/proof-by-verbosity.html
Thank You for reading this weeks issue. I have been frustrated with the delivery rates of the newsletter. It’s literally a 50/50 chance if the email will make it to your inbox. For some email providers, like Yahoo, it’s probably 75% chance that it won’t make it. So…it’s fantastic that you’re reading this! Please consider installing and using the Substack app on your smartphone or tablet. It’s the only way to guarantee delivery of the newsletter each week.
I appreciate you.
Matt
“WHEN A THING IS DONE, IT’S DONE. DON’T LOOK BACK. LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR NEXT OBJECTIVE.” - me, every Tuesday morning.
Published every Tuesday, Threats Without Borders offers original commentary and educational pieces related to cybercrime investigations and information security topics. We also summarize and comment on news articles concerning active threat intelligence for the financial industry. The newsletter is of interest to everyone who is tasked with cybersecurity or is involved in the prevention or investigation of technology-enabled fraud, theft, or money laundering.
Legal: I am not compensated by any entity for writing this newsletter. Obviously, anything written in this space is my own nonsensical opinions and doesn’t represent the official viewpoint of my employer or any associated organization. Blame me, not them.