The Israel Police is updating tonight (Tuesday) on a new threat that is hovering over consumers in Israel. “These days, there is a widespread attack of phishing scams via text messages impersonating the Israel Post. The purpose of the impersonation operation is to obtain credit information and steal money,” a series of tweets posted on the police’s official Twitter page said.
As part of the attack, the suspects use the legitimate number and name of the Israel Post services, so that a customer who has previously received authentic messages from the Israel Post will receive the phishing message from the same sender (Israel Post). The messages are accompanied by a malicious link in which the victim is asked to enter his credit information on the website impersonating the Israel Post, in favor of an alleged payment for a customs fee.
Most suspects remove the impersonating site from the network within a few days (therefore, it is possible that the link you received will become unusable within a short time). However, the suspects easily switch the link to another address, and so the fraud attempts continue again.
The police did not content themselves with a warning and even gave practical recommendations on how to protect themselves against theft. “We recommend taking extra care after receiving a message with a request to enter sensitive details. It is recommended to go to the official website of the Israel Post, check in the personal area the details of the package you received and the required customs payment.” It was also stated that, if you have been a victim of phishing scams or any other criminal offense, you can file an online complaint on the Israel Police website.
This is not the first time the police have issued such warning messages. Last summer, the police reported multiple attempts to defraud citizens and financial companies by sending messages via WhatsApp, telegram and e-mail, and to that end, a special center was set up to handle public inquiries.