Phishers Target Victims Around the Globe

Financial institutions in non-English-speaking nations are increasingly being targeted by phishing attacks, The Register reports.

According to RSA Security’s Anti-Fraud Command Centre, English-speaking countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom continue to be phishers’ main victims, but nations outside the English-speaking world—such as Spain, Germany and Italy—now account for nearly 40 percent of phishers’ targets, The Register reports. In some cases, the e-mails are being sent in local languages.

Phishers send unsolicited e-mails that direct users to phony websites in hopes of tricking them into revealing personal information that gets used fraudulently.

RSA attributes the spread into other nations to a rise in online banking in Europe and Asia Pacific, hacker sophistication and greater functionality offered by banks with their online services, according to The Register.

“Financial institutions in relatively untapped markets with users unfamiliar with phishing attacks are an attractive target,” RSA’s Andrew Moloney told The Register. “Banks and customers who have been fortunate enough to avoid attracting the attention of the fraudsters so far now need to be on their guard and take preventative, proactive measures whenever possible.”

For related content, read How to Foil a Phish.

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— Compiled by Dave Gradijan