Pix scams are becoming increasingly common, claiming many victims in Brazil. Learn more about this and learn how to protect yourself.
Pix is a widely used payment method in Brazil due to its ease and speed. This relatively new instant payment method helps make life easier for Brazilians, but unfortunately it has been widely used as a scam. A new scam that diverts money from a mobile payment method when the customer is making a bank transfer has already claimed more than 6,300 victims since January of this year, according to data from Kaspersky, an online security company.
The scammers operate through the ATS system, after the consumer downloads an application that is infected with a Trojan, a type of virus that is also known as a Trojan horse. This is the second type of financial scam that has claimed the most victims in Latin America, behind only the ghost hand scam.
Find out more about how this new Pix scam works and learn how to protect yourself.
Pix scam
According to Kaspersky, criminals gain access to the victim's cell phone when they download an infected app or click on dubious links. Gaming apps, for example, are among those that have been identified as vectors of the new virus that transfers money. from Pix of the client.
The Trojan, however, can also be present in other applications, such as fake popular apps or those that imitate official bodies, through messages sent via SMS. or WhatsApp, as well as social networks, with links that lead users to have their cell phones infected when they click on them.
How the new scam works
When the virus installs itself on the victim's cell phone, it waits for the accessibility permission that is present on Android phones. To convince the victim to authorize the permission, the virus displays a message stating that the fake app requires an “update.” It will appear until the user accepts it. This step is essential for the criminal, because without it, the scam will not occur.
When the user with the infected cell phone accesses their bank account to make a transfer using Pix, the virus starts transferring funds from their account to the scammers. From that moment on, the screen is locked and the message “transfer being made” appears.
However, this transfer seems slow and freezes the screen or causes it to shake. At this point, the scammers start to act, changing the Pix recipient and the amount to be transferred. According to Kaspersky Brazil senior analyst Fabio Marenghi, when the screen returns for the user to enter the password, the change has been made. That's why it feels like there has been a redirection.
What to do to protect yourself
Among the top tips from experts for don't fall for scams Pix's policies are not to download applications outside of the cell phone's official app store and not to accept accessibility permission on Android cell phones, as without this option, the virus cannot install itself and commit the scam.
It is also important to be aware of messages you receive with strange and unsolicited links, especially from unknown contacts. They may be infected with this virus or with others that can give access to other apps and personal files on your phone.
In addition, it is also necessary for the user to install an antivirus on their cell phone, in case they end up being a victim even after taking the necessary precautions. The antivirus is capable of protecting against other frauds.
