FBI warns about a new type of cybercrime campaign that involves free online document convertor tools

FBI has recently issued an alert announcement in which the people were warned about certain criminal actors that were masquerading as BianLian Group to send extortion letters to corporate executives. Well apart from this, there is another scam that FBI has warned about.

As per the FBI Denver Field Office, agents are increasingly seeing a scam involving free document converter tools. In this particular scam, criminals use free online document converter tools to load malware onto victim’s computers, leading to incidents such as ransomware.

FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge, Mark Michalek said, “If you or someone you know has been affected by this scheme, we encourage you to make a report and take actions to protect your assets. Every day, we are working to hold these scammers accountable and provide victims with the resources they need. ”

How do free online document converter tools are used to scam people?

Cybercriminals are using any type of free document converter or downloader tool. This might be a website claiming to convert one type of file to another, such as a .doc file to a .pdf file. It might also claim to combine files, such as joining multiple .jpg files into one .pdf file. The suspect program might claim to be an MP3 or MP4 downloading tool. Then these converters and downloading tools will do the task advertised, but the resulting file can contain hidden malware giving criminals access to the victims computer.

The tools can also scrape the submitted files for:

• Personal identifying information, such as social security numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers, etc.)
• Banking information
• Cryptocurrency information (seed phrases, wallet addresses, etc.)
• Email addresses
• Passwords

Many victims do not realize that they have been infected by malware until it’s too late, and their computer is infected with ransomware or their identity has been stolen. To protect yourself against such scams, it is advised to beware of your actions online keep your virus scan software up to date, and scan any file received before opening it.

In case you are a victim of such a scam, here are some steps to take-

• Contact your financial institutions immediately. Take steps to protect your identity and your accounts.
• Change all your passwords using a clean, trusted device.
• Make a report at IC3.gov
• Run up-to-date virus scan software to check for potentially malicious software installed by the scammers. Consider taking your computer to a professional company specializing in virus and malware removal services.