Fine fraud via SMS and email: State Police alert
The State Police warns that false messages notifying recipients of fines to pay are circulating via email and SMS in order to steal banking data.
False fine notification: State Police issues alert
The State Police warns that anyone receiving an email or SMS with notice of a fine to pay should consider it a fraud. According to poliziadistato.it, in recent months a phishing campaign exploiting the name of the institution to deceive citizens has been spreading.
The mechanism is simple. First contact occurs through a message signalling an urgent payment notification. The cybercriminals' objective is to exploit fear of penalties to steal personal data and banking credentials.
The text almost always includes a link that appears to redirect to an official State Police portal. Upon clicking it, the user is redirected to a website with an institutional appearance but with a clearly counterfeit web address. At that point, they are asked to enter personal data and credit card number to settle the alleged fine.
The Police indicate some specific countermeasures:
- Do not click on the link contained in the message.
- Do not provide personal data, credit card numbers or OTP codes.
- Report the incident to the Postal Police via the website commissariatodips.it.
- Delete the message and block the sender.
Anyone who realises they have fallen into the trap after having already entered their data must immediately contact their bank to block the card and file a report with the competent authorities.
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)