US Secret Service court documents reveal new tactics in antivirus renewal phishing scam

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Court document shows phishing tactics are only getting more complex

A bank card skewered on the end of a fishhook in front of a white computer keyboard.
(Image credit: Getty Images / Peter Dazeley)

New documents submitted by the US Secret Service as part of a recent seizure warrant have revealed an all-new form of phishing scam techniques centered around antivirus renewal.

In this instance, a scammer stole $34,000 after emailing the victim stating that there was an auto-renewal of $349.95 on their account that would be charged unless cancelled.

 Executed Warrant 

The warrant, submitted by Special Agent Jollif of the United States Secret Service, hopes to return the $34,000 to the victim as the funds are currently suspended in a JP Morgan Chase suspense account due to the detection of a potentially fraudulent transaction.

The scammer, identified as “Bingsong Zhou” in the warrant application, tricked their victim into installing remote access software which Zhou then used to transfer the funds from the victims savings account into their own while disguising their actions under an overlaid bluescreen.

Jollif stated in the document that while tactics like this have existed for several years, they are seeing increasing use. In the document, Jollif states, “Criminals are posing as legitimate representatives of real companies and, through a series of impersonations, are negotiating the transfer of funds via wire transfers from a victim bank account to an account controlled by the criminal.

“Once the criminal receives the fraudulently obtained funds, it is common practice to move the funds rapidly between accounts to prevent law enforcement detection.”

Via BleepingComputer

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Senior Writer, Security

Benedict has been with TechRadar Pro for over two years, and has specialized in writing about cybersecurity, threat intelligence, and B2B security solutions. His coverage explores the critical areas of national security, including state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, critical infrastructure, and social engineering.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham, providing him with a strong academic foundation for his reporting on geopolitics, threat intelligence, and cyber-warfare.

Prior to his postgraduate studies, Benedict earned a BA in Politics with Journalism, providing him with the skills to translate complex political and security issues into comprehensible copy.