>Cyber intelligence company IntSights, who has researched the phenomenon, says this indicates a higher potential return on investment. They discovered Telegram channels and dark web forums rife with criminals swapping tips on how to defraud the British state. The scam targets the advanced payment feature of the UC scheme – where in the five weeks it takes the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to process a claimant’s information, they can be sent an advanced hardship payment of between £500 and £1500. “The victim has no idea because the DWP does not reach out to the victim until a little bit later, when the victim will receive a physical mail saying ‘you have applied for this type of universal credit’,” says Etay Maor, CSO at IntSights. At this point, the person will realise they’re a victim of fraud, “but it’s too late, at that point the money is out”.
>Last year, a BBC report indicated that tens of millions of pounds are estimated to have been stolen in similar scams. The scam has typically involved fraudsters phoning victims and posing as DWP officials to obtain their details and make a claim in their name. But Maor found that criminals today say it’s possible to dispense with the social engineering element of the scam because there is enough personal data from UK citizens already on the dark web as the result of numerous hacks.
Yea I already know about that, its been happening for a while, fortunately not to me yet.
(post is archived)