A network of over 5,000 fraudulent pharmacy sites marketed counterfeit medications.
A surge in global cybercrime includes the proliferation of fake online pharmacies, AI-driven ransomware, and a dramatic rise in online scams targeting users in the UK.
A threat report from Gen highlighted a network of over 5,000 fraudulent pharmacy sites marketing counterfeit medications such as Viagra and Ozempic, often using AI-generated content and fake reviews to deceive users and steal data.
The report also notes a 340% rise in financial scams, a 78% increase in sextortion cases, and a sharp uptick in malvertising, especially through push notifications. Social media platforms like Facebook were found to be key vectors for scams using deepfakes, fake support pages, and malicious ads.
Written by
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with 25 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 17 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Forum, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and the National Cyber Security Show, and served as editor of SC Media UK, Infosecurity Magazine and IT Security Guru. He was also an analyst with 451 Research and a product marketing lead at Tenable.
