ANDROID users are facing a new virus that can redirect phone calls to money-hungry scammers.
The virus is called Fakecalls and intercepts the line when people call services such as their bank.
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Fakecalls mimics the official apps of several popular banking providers, reports Express.
Once mistakenly installed, the user is tricked into using the app to do things like check balances and make payments.
The virus can also hijack phonecalls to banking providers by discreetly breaking the line and connecting to a scammer waiting on the other end.
Scammers can get personal information like account numbers and passwords, and steal money from the account.
Fakecalls can also intercept incoming calls, according to Kaspersky Daily.
When the cybercriminals want to contact the victim, the virus will display its own screen to show the phone number of a bank’s support service, rather than the number that’s actually calling.
This technology can also block real calls from the bank that may be trying to warn the victim of what’s going on.
Because of the permissions the app asks for when installed, it can also track the location of a device, record audio, copy the contacts list or files from the phone to their server, and access the call and text message history.
Currently, the virus is targeting people across Korea.
To stay safe, Kaspersky recommends downloading apps from official stores only and checking what permissions an app is asking for when downloaded.
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