“A 20-year-old hacker has been arrested in northern France for spreading a virus via smartphone ‘apps’ that defrauded thousands of victims,” BBC News reports. “Prosecutors say he stole tiny sums from 17,000 people, amassing about 500,000 euros (£405,000) since 2011.”
“He snared victims with free downloads designed to look like original applications,” The Beeb reports. “But in the background the apps worked to steal money via hidden transactions. It appears smartphones that use Google software were the most susceptible, says the BBC’s Christian Fraser in Paris.”
The Beeb reports, “Once the fake applications were downloaded, the virus sent a text message without the user’s knowledge to a premium-rate number he had set up.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: “Open.”
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “buddabob” for the heads up.]
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