DIGITAL LIFE

Norton: Fake donation scheme grows rapidly in Brazil

Norton, Gen's cybersecurity brand, has issued a warning about a wave of donation scams circulating in Brazil. The scheme exploits true stories of humanitarian appeals to deceive donors and divert funds that were intended for legitimate causes.

A company investigation reveals that cybercriminals create fake websites that imitate fundraising platforms. The main intention is not to steal personal or banking data, but to directly divert donation money to fraudulent accounts.

The perpetrators of the scam use fake or compromised profiles on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Threads to infiltrate local communities and share the fraudulent pages. To gain credibility, these accounts even republish content from other users before spreading the fake links.

The fraudulent pages replicate descriptions, images and videos of real cases, and display fake comments from supposed donors and visual effects that simulate real-time donations. When a person decides to donate, they are directed to a payment page with a QR or PIX code. After the transfer, a thank you message is displayed to confirm the legitimacy of the transaction. Jakub Vávra, Threat Operations Analyst at Gen, classifies these campaigns as “particularly sophisticated because they imitate real donation posts and websites, taking advantage of people’s empathy and willingness to help.” 

Norton reports that it has detected and blocked hundreds of attempts at this scam in Brazil over the past week. To avoid this type of scam, Norton experts recommend a set of precautionary measures. The main one is to only make donations through trusted platforms or pages on the internet, after verifying the legitimacy of both the causes and the entities responsible. 

It is advisable to carefully check the URL address of the website before making any transfer, to confirm that the domain is correct and that the connection is secure (https). A quick internet search for the name of the campaign or the person involved can help confirm its authenticity. Experts also warn of the importance of not giving in to emotional pressure tactics that seek to prevent critical analysis by the donor.

In short, the wave of donation scams in Brazil exploits users' empathy through fraudulent campaigns that mirror real cases. Recommendations focus on rigorously verifying the legitimacy of requests for help and using only recognized donation channels.

About Norton...Norton is a leader in cybersecurity and part of Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), a global company dedicated to advancing digital freedom, with a family of brands that consumers trust.

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