The information released this week by the Electronic Security Service (ETX) under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport states that new fraud cases have been observed through the "Telegram" platform, and platform users are sent messages like "Hi, your pictures..." followed by suspicious links being shared. When the user enters that link, they are required to select the relevant country, enter their phone number, and write the received verification code. This method is used to hijack users' "Telegram" accounts. Later, using the hijacked accounts, the same fraud cases continue against other people.
ETX has advised citizens to be cautious against such incidents, not to enter suspicious links, not to share phone numbers and verification codes, and to activate two-step verification to ensure security in accounts.
It is interesting, what is the purpose of such fraud? Why do cybercriminals need to hijack "Telegram" accounts? What does this give to the criminals?
Medianews.az's questions were answered by Elvin Abbasov, chairman of the Azerbaijan Information and Communication Technologies Industry Association, who stated that generally, the main purpose of this type of fraud spreading through "Telegram" is to hijack users' accounts: "Because a hijacked account provides cybercriminals both the opportunity to gain trust and to reach a wider audience. People tend to trust messages coming from someone they know, which increases the likelihood of them clicking on the same phishing link."
On the other hand, through hijacked accounts, private messages can be obtained and used for blackmail purposes or as a means for spreading new fraud schemes such as fake investments or money transfers. This means cybercriminals gain both financial profit and an advantage in social engineering attacks.
Therefore, the most important step in such cases is for users to activate the two-step verification function and not to enter suspicious links. Otherwise, hijacking one account can lead to larger chain reactions of damage."
Naile Gasimova,
Medianews.az
