The Ministry of Post and Telecommunication (MPTC) has warned Cambodians using Telegram of a new form of hackers’ attack using a fake identity to lure them.

In a statement dated December 15 and released yesterday by MPTC, it said hackers use a fake account under the name of senior officials in the government or other well-known individuals to send files or links which contain virus or malware to targeted victims.

“In case the users click on the file or the link, the hackers will obtain the remote access to control their computers or smartphones, which allows the hackers to steal their data in the devices including documents and passwords or passcodes [for software, accounts or applications] as well as control their camera or voice recorder,” the ministry said.

It said the hacker can also use the victims’ identities to scam other users.

MPTC advised  Telegram users to protect themselves by verifying and confirming the senders’ account name and phone number before clicking on any suspicious links or files.

“In suspicious cases, users should call the senders to confirm their identities,” the ministry said, adding  when they realise that those are fake accounts, they should block them.”

Chun Vat, director-general of the Department of Information and Communication Technology, and Ou Phannarith, the director of Information and Communications Technology Security for the MPTC refused to comment on the issue when contacted.

In July, for example, the Ministry of Interior’s Anti-Cybercrimes Department had warned the public over a phishing scam on Telegram which lures users to ‘make money fast’ by clicking a link.

A department statement said the scammers lure victims to click on a link after posting a message: “Hi. I am earning from $100 to $150 on ‘myxfreelance.cc’. You need to log in via Telegram and do what is written on the site.”

The department said the link contained a TrojanHorse which stole information from users, including their identities and other particulars such as their bank account and credit card details.

Sok Sopheak Mongkol, the founder and CEO of Codingate, a Cambodia-based business solutions company and the winner of the Smart Technology Entrepreneur Award in 2016, said cybercrime on Telegram and other social media platforms, is a serious problem for individuals and businesses in Cambodia, as the country is rapidly heading towards digitalisation.

“Hacking and scams are global problems, but it is very serious in Cambodia, which lacks the necessary resources and expertise to curb them,” Mongkol said.

• Tags: hackers, Telegram