Cybercrime Alert: New phishing and spoofing tactics targeting bank accounts

Cybercriminals are increasingly using sophisticated techniques to drain bank accounts through various phishing and spoofing methods. In Italy, CERT-AGID reported 49 phishing campaigns in a single week in June 2026, many of which impersonated official services like pagoPA and SEND by using fake unpaid fine notifications.

Key fraudulent methods include:

• Quishing: Using QR codes on fake documents to direct users to fraudulent payment pages. • Smishing: Sending SMS messages regarding alleged fines or security alerts to steal credit card data and CVV codes. • Spoofing: Falsifying caller ID or sender information so messages appear to come from legitimate authorities or known phone numbers.

Additionally, attackers are utilizing international prefixes to conduct large-scale scams. Common tactics include WhatsApp job offers from France (+33), banking smishing from the UK (+44), and the Wangiri scam from Cuba (+53), where victims are prompted to call back expensive satellite numbers. Other threats include tech support scams from India (+91) and social engineering via chat from Indonesia (+62).