The FakeCalls Android banking scam is back

The scam designed to intercept customer support calls and steal banking data using fake Android apps has returned, and it’s more effective than ever.

Initially discovered almost a year ago, the malware known as FakeCalls has returned and researchers from cybersecurity firm Check Point (opens in new tab) have indicated that it has employed further evasion techniques.

According to its report, the Trojan can “masquerade as one of more than 20 financial applications” to imitate phone calls in a scam known as voice phishing.

Voice phishing malware

The malware appears to be targeting South Korea specifically, a country that according to a government report (opens in new tab) lost around $600 million in 2020 due to voice phishing attacks alone.

Not only had the cybersecurity researchers discovered over 2,500 samples of the malware, but the “unique” evasion techniques it used had “not previously [been] seen in the wild ...