- The FBI warns about web -based file conversion projects that are malicious
- Some are dropping malware, others stealing confidential data
- The FBI urges victims to inform the attacks
Free online file converters, carpenters and similar productivity tools are actually covered for data distribution and data distribution campaigns, the FBI is warned.
The office warning says that its agents from the Denver field office “are increasingly seeing a scam that involves free tools for online document converters.”
In the warning, the agency of application of the law also urged victims to present and inform cases of this scam.
Informing the scam
“To carry out this scheme, cybercounts around the world are using any type of free documents converter or download tool. This could be a website that claims to convert one type of file to another, such as an .doc file to an .pdf file.
The worst part is that the tools work as planned, and the victims will still get the files they were looking for.
However, a piece of malware will also be downloaded to your computer, or files that load for conversion/union will be discarded to obtain information.
The FBI says that the tools can scrape the files sent to obtain personal identification information, such as social security numbers, birth dates and telephone numbers, bank information, cryptocurrency information (seed phrases, wallet addresses, etc.), email addresses and passwords.
“The best way to frustrate these scammers is to educate people so that they are not victims of these scammers first,” said FBI Denver’s special agent by Mark Michalek.
“If you or someone you know has been affected by this scheme, we recommend that you make a report and take measures to protect your assets. Every day, we are working to hold these scammers and provide victims with the resources they need.”
The FBI urges victims to inform these scams to the FBI Internet Crime complaints center at www.ic3.gov.
