A new phishing attack is spreading in France. This time, the hackers have found nothing better than to impersonate Emmanuel Macron. As the Élysée Palace indicates in a post on X, some French people have received a text message signed by the head of state.
The message encourages the recipient to Send "a message now on the Signal app" to the number provided. If you send a message on Signal to the highlighted number, you will obviously not be communicating with Emmanuel Macron, but with a scammer. This scammer didn't choose Signal by chance. The messaging service requires very little personal data to open an account. All you need is a phone number. No other information, such as an email address or identity real, is required.
Hackers in search of data
The cybercriminal will then encourage their interlocutor to communicate sensitive data, such as bank details, or to pay them money. It is also possible that the criminal wants to persuade their interlocutor to install a fraudulent application on their smartphone. This malware will then be able to extract sensitive data, such as passwords and login details. The Élysée services do not specify how the hackers behind this phishing campaign planned to achieve their ends.
Text scams are flourishing in France
Text scams have been on the rise in recent months. France is particularly affected by the phenomenon. Armed with a wealth of stolen data, cybercriminals are posing as delivery services, such as UPS, FedEx, or Chronopost, or reputable companies, such as Amazon.
If you have received a text message from Emmanuel Macron, we advise you simply not to reply. However, you can forward the text message to 33700. This way, the authorities will receive the SMS through your telecom operator. If necessary, they can block the number.
0 Comments