FBI Issues US Social Media And Messaging Warning — What To Know

InnovationCybersecurityFBI Issues US Social Media And Messaging Warning — What To KnowByDavey Winder, Senior Contributor

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights

Davey Winder is a veteran cybersecurity writer, hacker and analyst

It has been, without any shadow of a doubt, a busy few days regarding Federal Bureau of Investigation warnings concerning cybercrime

On June 30, the FBI issued an alert for the aviation industry that attackers from the Scattered Spider ransomware group were shifting their attention to this industry sector

By July 2, that FBI warning had become a stark reality as Qantas confirmed it had fallen victim to a “cyber incident. ” Now, the FBI has issued a public service advisory, as cybercriminals are using social media platforms and messaging apps to target U

Stock investors with a ramp-and-dump fraud

Here’s what you need to know

Who is in stocks with a ramp-and-dump fraud that is initiated through the use of social media platforms moting investment s

Many of the members of these so-called s have, upon investigation, turned out to be fake accounts, and active members are ly to be mostly bot-operated accounts

The social media posts, the FBI said, “typically direct victims to secure messaging apps where the group operates. ” And if you are already to dismiss victims as the easily fooled, the FBI goes on to warn that the attackers are impersonating “legitimate brokerage firms or well-known stock analysts,” to create an air of respectability and, more importantly, trust. “So far in 2025, the FBI has seen at least a 300 percent increase in victim complaints referencing ramp-and-dump stock fraud from 2024,” the FBI warned, revealing just how much of a blem this has become, hence the urgent need for the advisory

MORE FOR YOU There can be some confusion pump-and-dump and ramp-and-dump fraud schemes, but essentially, the latter is just a specific type of the former

As such, it’s not unusual to hear it referred to as a pump-and-dump scheme instead

If you want to get particular it, then a pump-and-dump scheme will generally involve using news media, and more prevalently social media now, to mote a stock for price manipulation, alongside falsified financial statements and suspicious trading activity

Ramp-and-dump actors, on the other hand, are almost entirely controlled by the threat actors themselves rather than relying upon social media to spread fake news

The criminals will have control over a relatively large volume of relatively low-priced stocks, and the aim of the fraud is to get investment members to purchase s over weeks or months in order to inflate the price

This is the ramp bit of the fraud involved

The dump comes into play once a suitably over-inflated price has been achieved and the fraudsters sell all their stock at a fit, with the investment members left holding a fair bit of nothing at all as the price crashes

The indictments ed an FBI appeal to help “identify potential victims of a ramp-and-dump investment fraud scheme. ” “Each count of securities fraud is punishable by up to 25 years in federal prison,” the U

Attorney’s Office said, “while the maximum sentence for each count of wire fraud is 20 years. ” ForbesAndroid Warning For 3. 3 Billion Users As SMS Attacks SurgeBy Davey Winder FBI Advice On How To Identify Ramp-And-Dump Stock Fraud The FBI advisory that investors look to recognise the ing indicators of ramp-and-dump schemes: Unsolicited investment tips received via "accidental" text messages or social media advertisements

Claims from well-known financial advisors or wealth managers offering exclusive stock recommendations through online s

Pressure to act quickly based on a supposed market-moving event

Urgent pitches to purchase low-priced stocks in new or emerging companies, often paired with mises of dramatic price increases or guarantees to cover any investor losses

Readers are urged to report any such incidents to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at www

Gov as soon as possible

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