## **Criminals impersonating public officials, instructing people to install fake apps of Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department, to gain access to bank accounts and steal assets.** In recent days, the The story of losing money after installing the tax agency’s application received attention on social networks. The AT account holder said he registered for a tax code to open a store and was scheduled to receive the results on April 6. But only April 5, someone contacted to guide the implementation of the procedure and install the declaration software. “After making friends, I checked my personal page and saw many tax-related pictures, this person’s wife works at the Tax Department,” the victim recounted. After that, Ms. AT installed a tax declaration application on her mobile phone following the instructions of a self-proclaimed civil servant. This App requires multiple permissions on the device, including screen viewing and machine control. Because of causing lag, the user has uninstalled the application. However, a few hours later, AT’s bank account was cleared at midnight. Mr. Vu Ngoc Son, Technology Director of Vietnam National Cyber Security Company (NCS), said that crooks actively tricked users by texting and sending victims links to install fake applications. The website is disguised with a Google Play-like interface. If the victim does not pay attention, they will be tricked into installing a dirty app. “Once installed, the app requires many permissions to function, including accessing personal data and reading messages. If the user agrees, the scammer can control and monitor the victim’s phone remotely, “said Mr. Son. Because the mobile is remotely controlled, performing many background tasks, the device gets hot and lags seriously after installing the fake app. By tracking information, reading messages, crooks easily collect bank account login data and get transaction OTP codes. Thereby, they can appropriate all assets. After the incident, the Tax Department of Ho Chi Minh City also warned users about the status of pretending to be state officials, instructing to install fake apps, hijacking phones to steal property. Specifically, tax applications are released on two application markets Google Play and AppStore. People can find the official app with the correct developer name in these channels. In addition, the software download link is also provided on the official website of the Tax Department. Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department warns users not to download applications from external links or grant permission to penetrate deeply into the phone. At present, Ms. AT’s post has attracted a lot of attention, with more than 11,000 shares on social networks. However, some details shared are inaccurate, causing confusion. Specifically, in this user post, the app HCMTAX- Ho Chi Minh Department of Taxation, released by the “Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department” is fake. According to Mr. Son, the victim may have been mistaken, because this app on Google Play is the owner. Currently, the above software is receiving a 1-star rating on the app market. Because many people think that this is a fake app, appropriating bank accounts. On the other hand, users of open operating systems like Android need to be more vigilant when granting permission to strange apps, installed from third-party sources. Meanwhile, iPhones limit apps on the AppStore, making it difficult for malware to penetrate. than.
