Internet Hotline Warns of Intensified Fraudulent Activities
Over the past two months, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) received around one hundred and fifty reports of websites misusing the names of MVM Next and NAV, the Hungarian tax authority. Fraudsters use SMS and email messages to shepherd recipients to websites that appear to be official in order to obtain their credit card details. Internet Hotline experts stress that real requests and inquiries from service providers and authorities never contain links to payment pages.
Fake SMS messages and emails sent on behalf of MVM Next Energiakereskedelmi Zrt. (MVM Next) and the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV), which have been reported to the Internet Hotline in large numbers since January, call for the payment of unpaid electricity bills or inform recipients of a HUF 140 thousand tax refund. The NMHH’s online legal help service warns: the only place to make a proper transaction is through the known websites of public authorities and service providers, and official bodies never send payment links via SMS.
The legal helpdesk has sent an alert to the hosting provider for all reported, still available websites that used the MVM Next name, and requested an investigation of the content. The Internet Hotline informed the reporting persons about the possibility to file a police report and, if they had provided their bank card details, the need to contact the financial institution with which their account is held. Regarding content that misused the name of the tax authority, NMHH staff referred the matter to another competent body. MVM Next had previously detected the phishing attempt, and set up a dedicated website to provide information about the fraudulent emails and the suspicious items. NAV has also become aware of the misleading enquiries, and published a notice concerning the fake websites and telltale signs.
As the experts at CyberShield advise, urgent requests on behalf of non-bank service providers should be treated with increased caution and a healthy distrust. Never provide bank details or passwords when asked to do so by email, SMS or over the phone, and never install remote access software of unknown origin.
It’s also important to always check the provider’s official websites instead of the links sent in suspicious messages, and to settle any debts through verified channels. In case of suspicion, break off the contact and check the authenticity of the request through the official customer service. The phone number sending the SMS can be blocked on the user’s mobile device to prevent fraudsters from contacting them again. Online phishing sites can also be reported on the Internet Hotline legal helpline website.
In the video below, Dorina Csalár, Head of the NMHH Internet Hotline, talks about the rise in online abuse. The video can be freely embedded and used.