Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated and ruthless than ever, targeting people's private lives and impersonating friends or work colleagues to steal money or secure valuable data.
Criminals gather personal information on potential targets from social media, which enable them to garner all kinds of information on people's daily lives, according to Hector Rodriguez, senior vice president and regional risk officer for Visa in Central Europe, Middle East and Africa.
He warned scammers are using every possible avenue at their disposal to try to trick unsuspecting targets into divulging private details, including psychological manipulation and deep-fake technologies.
“Spear phishing or vishing is an attack that targets a specific victim with personalised communication and voice phishing scams,” he said.
Impersonations can be made to appear like family, friends or executives to convince consumers to provide personal information
“Impersonations can be made to appear like family, friends, executives, or government officials to convince consumers to provide personal information such as their passwords or account payment details.”
Phishing, which is a form of social engineering, involves the collection of personal data that is then used against an individual or company.
Last week, Dubai resident Timna Sophia told The National she lost Dh45,000 that she inherited from her late father in a phishing attack that involved a man claiming to be from a local bank.
The sharp increase in people working from home during the past 12 months and a rise in e-commerce during the pandemic have led to more cyberattacks in the region, as criminals look to take advantage of people's new-found vulnerabilities.
“There is a reason why it is called ‘engineering’ and cybercriminals are getting more advanced in their approach,” Mr Rodriguez said.
“These scams are so convincing and even well-informed people with their guard up are being tricked into sharing personal information.”
He said social engineering often sees fraudsters taking a patient approach to win the trust of people they have targeted.
“For example, on the first call, they get your name, on the second, the name of your bank. Then they call posing as your bank to get account information,” he said.
“They remain persistent as it can take multiple calls to get what they need.”
He warned that criminals were building profiles of people based on their online activities.
“They are capitalising on people's vulnerability by attempting to compromise consumers’ personal information and steal money,” he said.
“They are also building up a wealth of personal information on people’s day-to-day lifestyle, such as the stores they frequent, the bank they belong to, and the subscription services they have signed up for.”
He said a significant amount of personal data can be gleaned from social media platforms and accounts could be compromised by weak passwords.
This data would then be sold on the dark web, he added.
Identities stolen from UAE consumers are among the most expensive for sale by criminals on the dark web, fetching an average of $25 each, according to research from UK-based technology comparison website Comparitech.
Mr Rodriguez also warned that criminals were often posing as trusted institutions in the hope people would be tricked into giving up sensitive information.
“You receive a call from someone claiming to be from your financial services provider or a financial government entity who may then pose a series of security questions to trick you into revealing personal information,” he said.
“A fraudster may tell you that your bank account or Emirates ID has been blocked to get you to reveal sensitive account information such as your card details and one-time passwords.”
He said there have even been instances where criminals have contacted people to tell them a loved one is in hospital, requiring urgent treatment.
“They request funds or your payment details to ensure they receive the ‘surgery’ they require,” he said.
“This is especially disturbing considering they are really manipulating people and placing them in a stressful situation, playing on their biggest fears.”
Dubai Future Foundation said phishing emails alone surged by over 600 per cent in the first six months of the pandemic.
Criminals take advantage of working from home
Emad Haffar, head of technical experts with Kaspersky, said criminals are taking advantage of the increase in online transactions, mainly due to the pandemic.
“Many more people than before are using their credit cards online compared to pre-pandemic and many of them are doing it for the first time,” Mr Haffar said
"It’s much easier for them to fall victim. People need to adopt a mentality of more scrutiny and zero trust in the services we interact with.”
Mr Rodriguez said it’s more critical than ever to protect personal details and data due to the pandemic causing an acceleration in changes and trends.
“There is now a shift towards digital payments, particularly e-commerce and contactless," he said.
“The increased rate of adoption has accelerated the changes by about five years and that has also led to an increased amount of cybercrime.”
How to protect against online fraudsters
- Do not share one-time passwords (OTPs) with anyone else – banks will never contact you to ask for an OTP that has been sent to your device.
- Never reuse passwords – using a password manager will help you come up with unique passwords that will be hard for criminals to guess. Never save a list of your passwords in a folder on your computer desktop.
- Use a single credit card for all online transactions – this will make it easier to manage online transactions.
- Make sure your phone and computers have the latest updates – updating your software will help keep your data protected against cybercriminals.
- Sign up for transaction alerts – this will help you manage your online activity and see when your account has been used for a transaction.
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
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Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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