Phishing attacks and related cyber scams rise globally, targeting businesses and travelers

phishing cyber scams hotel Wi‑Fi hijacking screen overlay travel fraud

A recent ESET Security Report found that 73% of companies in Latin America were targeted by phishing campaigns in 2025, with 81.4% of manufacturers and 100% of banks reporting attempts. The report stresses that human manipulation, not technical sophistication, remains the primary driver of these attacks.

Spain’s INCIBE and the Spanish Guardia Civil warned that cybercriminals are using WhatsApp to impersonate hotels, sending fraudulent reservation‑validation links that include real booking details to steal personal and banking data.

SISAP highlighted a growing “Screen Overlay” technique that places fake screens over legitimate Android apps to capture credentials, passwords and payment information without the user’s knowledge.

Microsoft’s security team uncovered a large‑scale hotel Wi‑Fi hijacking campaign called CaptiveCrunch, linked to the Russian‑affiliated group Storm‑2945, which compromises routers and intercepts guest traffic.

Kaspersky detected roughly 262,000 travel‑related phishing attempts between mid‑2025 and early‑2026, with Emirates and Uber accounting for 98% of the transport‑sector attacks.

The ZIUR Industrial Cybersecurity Centre reported that 60% of cyberattacks on industrial systems began with phishing emails, underscoring the technique’s prevalence across sectors.

Entities: Adobe · ESET · Incibe · José Amado · Kaspersky · Microsoft · SISAP · Securonix · Zoom

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] 60% of industrial cyberattacks began with phishing emails, according to ZIUR’s industrial cyber‑intelligence report. (ZIUR)
[● 2 SOURCES] The “Screen Overlay” technique displays fake screens over legitimate Android apps to capture credentials and payment data. (SISAP)
[○ 1 SOURCE] 81.4% of manufacturing firms in Latin America reported phishing attacks. (ESET Security Report)
[○ 1 SOURCE] 73% of Latin American companies were targeted by phishing campaigns in 2025. (ESET Security Report)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Microsoft identified a hotel Wi‑Fi hijacking campaign called CaptiveCrunch, linked to the Russian‑affiliated group Storm‑2945. (Microsoft security team)
[○ 1 SOURCE] 100% of banking institutions in Latin America reported phishing attempts. (ESET Security Report)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Cybercriminals use WhatsApp to impersonate hotels and send fraudulent reservation‑validation links containing real booking details. (INCIBE / Guardia Civil)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Kaspersky detected about 262,000 travel‑related phishing attempts between mid‑2025 and early‑2026, with Emirates and Uber accounting for 98% of transport‑sector attacks. (Kaspersky report)