An advance fee scam is targeting individuals in China following the arrest of Huawei’s CFO, Meng Wanzou, according to the SANS Internet Storm Center. Ms. Meng, who is also the daughter of Huawei’s CEO, was detained by Canadian authorities last week on a variety of charges including bank fraud.
Soon afterwards, scammers seized the opportunity to target gullible individuals by posing as the imperiled Ms. Meng. Messages sent via the Chinese messaging app WeChat promise their recipients a large stake in Huawei and the possibility of hypergamy if they transfer money to the account of a Canadian guard. The translated message reads:
"Hello, I am MENG Wanzou. Currently, I have been detained by Canadian customs. I have limited use of my phone. Right now CIA is trying to get me into the hands of the US government. I bribed the guard of my room, and urgently need US$2000 to get out of here. Once I am out, I will reward you 200,000 shares of Huawei. I will be good on my word. if you are single, we can also discuss the important thing in life. The guard’s name is David, the account number is 52836153836252, swift 55789034. I will be good on my word."
While most people would see through this scam, a number of individuals will inevitably fall for it. Given the success of “Nigerian Prince” scams, people who aren’t familiar with this type of scheme are far more likely to be taken in by an urgent message offering a large sum of money. New-school security awareness training can educate your employees on basic and advanced social engineering tactics. The SANS Internet Storm Center has the story: https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Arrest+of+Huawei+CFO+Inspires+Advance+Fee+Scam/24396
