TOKYO, Aug 9 (NNN-NHK) – Phishing scams in Japan, in the first half (H1) of this year, resulted in unauthorised money transfers totalling around three billion yen (about 21 million U.S. dollars), the National Police Agency (NPA) said, yesterday.
A record 2,322 scams, mainly involving phishing this year, have caused financial loss nearing the record high of 3.07 billion yen (about 21.4 million U.S. dollars) registered in 2015, according to a report by the NPA.
The surge in cases comes, as internet banking expands and phishing emails become increasingly sophisticated, said the NPA, adding that, financial institutions, particularly those without physical branches, were hit especially hard, in the first half of this year.
Phishing emails and text messages aiming to steal internet banking IDs and passwords, typically impersonate financial institutions and redirect users to counterfeit websites.– NNN-NHK
