“Slaughter packs” sold on the dark web make it easier to take a criminal career to the next level.
Cybercriminals use ready-to-use kits that can be purchased on the dark web to “butcher” their victims. Adobe Stock
Slaughtering pigs, in addition to its literal meaning, can refer to the method used by cyber fraudsters, which aims to take the largest possible amount of money from the victim.
The method is used, among other things, by love scammers who “fat” their victims with praise and compliments, for example, before they start persuading them in order to get financial benefits.
Once the victim’s trust is gained after weeks of active contact, the criminals manipulate their targets into making shady crypto-investments to financially slaughter the victim. Often the victim is a person who has no knowledge about cryptocurrencies.
After taking the money, the fraudster may still take the last few scraps by promising that he will be able to return the lost money as long as the victim makes one more payment.
Cyber scams as a turnkey service
Information security company Sophos says in its press release that nowadays even ready-to-use “slaughter kits” are sold on the dark web, with which even less skilled online fraudsters can begin to manufacture more profitable crimes with a low threshold.
The packages include, among other things, websites designed to empty the victim’s genuine crypto wallet.
– Gone are the days when fraudsters had to trick their victims into downloading shady cryptocurrency apps and transfer their own crypto assets to the criminals themselves, Sophos’ leading threat researcher Sean Gallagher tells.
Some of the scam sites included in the packages have a pre-installed chat function, with which the scammer can pretend to be the customer service representative of the scam site, should the victim decide to ask for help directly through the site.
Experts have already come across a similar “service model” in the past when using ransomware or extortion malware. Software can be bought ready-made, and their user does not have to be that advanced in terms of IT skills.
The number of scams is expected to grow drastically
Sophos tracked one fraud ring that used the “slaughter putty” for three months. The criminals made three million dollars with it, while it took twice as long for a ring that used more traditional tools to get the same amount.
According to Sophos, such scams have traditionally been orchestrated mainly from China, but increasingly they originate from Thailand and West Africa. The company believes that the number of scams and the resulting financial losses will grow exponentially this year.
– Getting “slaughtered” has never been so easy, which means that being aware of the existence of these scams has never been more important, Gallagher states.
The company urges caution if you receive contacts from strangers on social media or by text message. Often, the first warning sign is that the person who contacted you wants to move the conversation to another platform, such as Whatsapp.
It also hopes that people will be skeptical of investment offers that promise high returns very quickly.