With the self-assessment tax deadline fast approaching in the UK, self-employed individuals will be looking to take advantage of the many apps that are on the market to help make the tax return process as smooth as possible. Unfortunately, there is a real and pervasive problem of tax-related cybercrime.
It is not uncommon for cyber scams to be tied to current affairs, as this ensures that they are far-reaching and timely. When it comes to apps, for every good and useful app that exists, there will nearly always be malicious individuals looking to exploit its popularity to try to steal from unsuspecting individuals.
Education among end-users has come a long way in the last decade. With the rise of malware, there has also been a rise in user awareness. But it’s simply not possible for the general public to be well versed in all the potential threats that exist and arise. For example, users may have their guard up when it comes to suspicious hyperlinks, emails, and websites, but many let their guard down when it comes to malware in the form of applications.
Masquerading as legitimate apps, these programs are designed to harvest user data and facilitate identity theft and payment redirection. Often these fake apps are published on third-party app stores, outside of those natively available from the device manufacturer (e.g., the Google Play Store on Android or the App Store on iOS). However, some occasionally make it onto these first-party app stores as well.
