Fraud, hacking and domestic violence surge during pandemic but homicides drop July 22, 2021 Financial crime, fraud and hacking soared during the pandemic as criminals “took advantage of behavioural changes”, according to new figures published today. Domestic violence was up as well although the number of homicides dropped. Lockdowns and restrictions in movement in England and Wales saw a surge in online shopping which led to “substantial increases” in [...]
Pegasus scandal: French President Macron targeted in spyware case July 21, 2021 French President Emmanuel Macron called today for an investigation after it was reported that Morocco may have targeted his phone using spyware made by the Israeli company NSO Group. Watch the full report.
British man linked to 2020 Twitter hack arrested in Spain July 21, 2021 Spanish police have arrested a 22-year-old British citizen in the southern city of Estepona for his alleged involvement in the July 2020 Twitter hack. The US requested his arrest on multiple charges connected to the cyberscam. Joseph O’Connor is also accused in a criminal complaint of computer intrusions linked with TikTok and Snapchat accounts takeovers, [...]
Pegasus spyware data leaks spark political rows from Delhi to Mexico July 20, 2021 Politicians, journalists and human rights activists are believed to be targeted by Israeli spyware company NSO Group in the interest of its government clients, media reports on Monday. A list of more than 50,000 phone numbers was allegedly selected for potential surveillance as those of people of interest by government clients of NSO Group since [...]
China calls US, UK cyber attack allegations ‘groundless and irresponsible’ July 20, 2021 China has denied US-led accusations of orchestrating a global cyber hacking campaign against tech giants including Microsoft. The US and a coalition of allies, including the UK, EU, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Nato, on Monday accused China behind the “systematic cyber sabotage”, including a major hacking of Microsoft earlier this year. China hit [...]
Scam at first sight: Criminals target dating websites to promote bogus investments July 20, 2021 More than £15m has been lost to criminals offering bogus investment opportunities on dating platforms this year, according to new data shared with City A.M. this afternoon. The average loss per victim is £15,936, with a total of £15,665,332 lost so far this year, the UK’s reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime – Action [...]
Pegasus spyware investigation reveals scale of surveillance July 19, 2021 Human rights activists, journalists and lawyers have been targeted by spyware sold to authoritarian governments by the Israeli technology firm NSO Group, according to media reports. An investigation into a data leak by human rights group Amnesty International and NGO Forbidden Stories revealed a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers that may have been [...]
Online fraud up by a third during the pandemic July 15, 2021 Online fraud has risen by a third during the pandemic as almost all everyday activities went digital, according to a consumer rights group. The number of cases of fraud reported to UK police unit Action Fraud cost consumers £2.3bn last year and had affected over 410,000 victims, according to analysis by consumer rights group Which? [...]
Websites run by notorious Russia-linked ransomware gang go offline July 14, 2021 Websites run by REvil, a notorious Russia-linked ransomware gang, have disappeared from the internet, according to multiple media reports. On Tuesday, monitors said a payment website and a blog run by the group became unreachable. REvil has in the past been blamed for numerous attacks on hundreds of businesses worldwide. The reason for the sites [...]
Metropolitan Police seize record £180m of cryptocurrency July 13, 2021 The Met has seized a record £180m of cryptocurrency connected to the capital as it looks to crack down on international money laundering. It follows the seizure of £114 of crypto last month – a woman arrested in connection with that case is now being interviewed for this latest confiscation. She has since been bailed [...]