Photo: DVLA
The attacks launched by cybercriminals these days are getting a lot more sophisticated, and the British authorities now warn that online scams are often launched on social networks like Facebook and Instagram.
The United Kingdom’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) reveals that the number of reported scams increased by no less than 20 percent, reaching 1,538 in the last three months of 2019.
The most commonly-used tactics involve web, email, text, and social media scams, and more recently, a growing number of attacks are carried on social networks like Facebook.
The DVLA says that one such Facebook scam advertises fake driving licenses.
“We produce 100% Real Driving Licence. We register all the information into the DVLA database system and if the driving license is checked using a data rating machine, all your information will show up in the system and you shall legally use the document,” the scam posted in the “Free or for sale in Swansea” group reads.
The British officials encourage motorists to report such scams to the police and to obviously avoid buying a driving license from the Internet.
“We’ve released examples of real life scams to help motorists understand when a scam is at work. These websites and messages are designed to trick people into believing they can access services that simply don’t exist such as removing penalty points from driving licences,” DVLA chief information security officer David Pope explains.
While these scams are getting more sophisticated, the easiest way to remain secure is to simply ignore them completely. Of course, you should avoid opening the links that are included in the messages you receive from contacts you don’t know, as crafted webpages could often rely on phishing to disguise as a legitimate website asking for your credentials.
And just like the British police says, if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. All scams should be reported to the law enforcement as soon as possible.
The most commonly-used tactics involve web, email, text, and social media scams, and more recently, a growing number of attacks are carried on social networks like Facebook.
The DVLA says that one such Facebook scam advertises fake driving licenses.
“We produce 100% Real Driving Licence. We register all the information into the DVLA database system and if the driving license is checked using a data rating machine, all your information will show up in the system and you shall legally use the document,” the scam posted in the “Free or for sale in Swansea” group reads.
The British officials encourage motorists to report such scams to the police and to obviously avoid buying a driving license from the Internet.
“We’ve released examples of real life scams to help motorists understand when a scam is at work. These websites and messages are designed to trick people into believing they can access services that simply don’t exist such as removing penalty points from driving licences,” DVLA chief information security officer David Pope explains.
While these scams are getting more sophisticated, the easiest way to remain secure is to simply ignore them completely. Of course, you should avoid opening the links that are included in the messages you receive from contacts you don’t know, as crafted webpages could often rely on phishing to disguise as a legitimate website asking for your credentials.
And just like the British police says, if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. All scams should be reported to the law enforcement as soon as possible.
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