Scammers exploit new ‘data-leak-compensation’ scheme

Kaspersky experts have detected a new online fraud scheme designed to trick people into thinking they are owed compensation. Under the pretext of offering compensation for personal data leaks, scammers instead urge users to buy ‘temporary US social security numbers’ worth around $9 each. Victims were found in Russia, Algeria, Egypt and the UAE, as well as other countries.

Privacy and data protection are among the most discussed topics in recent years. This is no surprise, as so have the penalties being handed out to companies that have experienced data breaches. This, like any other attention-grabbing subjects, could only attract from fraudsters who are eager to earn money at the expense of others.