Researchers at cybersecurity expert Bitdefender recently discovered malicious operators using a fake edition of ChatGPT to trick users into falling for an investment scam. The criminal campaign has been mainly targeting victims across Europe. However, reports of the scam in action have been tracked as far as Australia and the researchers believe it is growing globally.
The investment scheme starts with a phishing email which is sent to potential victims containing a link marked “ChatGPT”. However, instead of directing the user to the legitimate chatbot, the link takes the user to a copycat instead. Once there, users are lured with financial opportunities that promise to pay thousands a month. They are recommended to invest a few hundred pounds to start with and provide their email address, telephone number and bank card details.
The counterfeit chatbot informs the user of the role it plays in analysing economic markets and claims that it can allow any person to become successful as an investor in international stocks. It then harvests personal data from the investors and steals the minimum investment.
The researchers found that the operators behind the scam claim to represent Import Capital, a London-based firm. However, the domain of this company recently appeared in an alert issued by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) who stated that the enterprise is not authorised to trade in the UK.
UK savers with concerns about whether an investment opportunity is authentic can always seek out financial advice in Chester, Manchester and other cities before submitting their funds.
