Cyber Unit Warns of Scam Offering Free Concert Tickets

Israel's National Cyber Directorate is warning the public about a sophisticated scam circulating on Facebook and Instagram that uses AI-generated advertisements to offer free tickets or benefits for popular concerts. These ads impersonate well-known companies and banks, with one example showing a fake Bank Leumi promotion for 5,000 free tickets to an Omer Adam concert for the first registrants.

The scam operates by placing sponsored posts on social media. Individuals who provide their details are later contacted by the scammers, who request an SMS verification code. This code, however, may be used to hijack the victim's SIM card, leading to the loss of control over their mobile phone line. The Cyber Directorate advises the public not to share verification codes, even if the caller claims to be from a legitimate company. They also recommend carefully reading SMS messages before sharing any codes and verifying offers only through official company channels.

If a user loses mobile reception after sharing a code, they are urged to contact their cellular provider immediately. This follows a similar phishing scam last month that impersonated tickets for a Sarit Hadad concert, also using AI and a fake website, which led to attackers gaining control of victims' bank accounts by obtaining real-time One-Time Passwords (OTP). In that instance, the impersonation was also directed at Bank Leumi.

Matan Gidionian, founder of the anti-fraud app Fisherman, noted that similar scams have targeted other artists like Eyal Golan and Sarit Hadad, often impersonating Bank Leumi. He stressed the importance of not clicking on suspicious links, sharing credit card details, or divulging SMS codes. Bank Leumi recently filed a NIS 26 million lawsuit against Meta, alleging the social media company profits from impersonations on its platforms rather than preventing them.