The number of suspicious messages reported by people in Belgium has almost doubled in a year, and experts fear that scam attempts will become even more credible.
Almost ten million phishing messages – an online fraud in which scammers try to trick internet users into revealing sensitive personal information – were forwarded to the dedicated email address 'verdacht@safeonweb.be' run by the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB). This is an increase from six million in 2022. The centre received an average of 27,000 messages each day.
"On the one hand, this rapid rise is the result of the campaigns which we have launched and which are reaching a larger part of the Belgian population," Michele Rignanese, CCB spokesperson, told The Brussels Times. "But we also know that the number of criminal groups and activities is increasing dramatically."
Rignanese added that cybercrime is a growing issue with people losing more data and money. Almost one in three (28%) Belgians has already reported scam messages. This helped the agency detect more than 1,200,000 suspicious links in 2023, which are published in weekly alerts by Safeonweb. It also helps the CCB update the Belgian Anti-Phishing Shield (BAPS).
If the attachments or links lead to a malicious site they are listed and sent to the CCB's partners. When an internet user then clicks on a link that is on the list, they are instead redirected to a warning page via this BAPS system.
Recurring messages and new trends
The same scam messages recur every year, especially those that appear to come from government services. Scammers often pretend to be the Government Finance Department, the Pension Service or another agency.
Banks, internet providers and the authentication platform Itsme® are also constantly imitated by criminals, as are postal services and well-known online shops. False messages frequently claim that a package is waiting to be delivered or must be collected.
Another common tactic is sending messages that seem to come from the Federal Police or Europol, in which victims are intimidated by claims that they are part of a vice investigation. Also noteworthy is a scam message with the subject "Meet a Ukrainian girl today", which has become widespread in Belgium.
Scams have become much more credible than they used to be. Credit: Belga / Laurie Dieffembacq
Rignanese warns that each year new techniques make it more difficult to recognise scams. For example, phishing via QR codes – a phenomenon named squishing – made a breakthrough last year. Here, the link in the suspicious message is replaced by a QR code, making it harder for the victim to detect the threat. But the result is the same: people are directed to a suspicious website where they are asked to enter their details.
With the advance of AI applications, phishing messages have become increasingly credible: deepfakes are already used to mimic voices and video footage, making it harder and harder to distinguish fake from genuine messages.
Staying safe
Several precautions are recommended to protect internet users from being caught out. When surfing online, the most effective tool is the Safeonweb browser extension which shows whether the owner of each website is validated or not.
This can be a powerful tool on desktops, but Rignanese stressed that people should be especially attentive when using their mobile phones, where people tend to be less careful. People are advised to always check the company's URL and e-mail address before clicking on anything.
If you are contacted by a company or person, check whether they are legitimate. Receiving a message or email out of the blue is a tell-tale sign, especially if you are being asked to pay money.
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A properly secured smartphone, tablet and laptop can also keep out cybercriminals. Use only safe applications and programs installed from reliable app stores, limit sharing of your location, choose strong passwords with unique codes and activate automatic updates for your hardware and software.
If the link seems suspicious or you have previously fallen victim to scamming, the message should always be forwarded to Safeonweb. "This will help us warn other people and ensure others aren't scammed in the same way."
