February Net Scam Report: Increase in Game-Related Scams, Securities Scams Down to Less Than 1/7th but Remain High in Some Cases

The Net Scam Report is a report that analyzes and summarizes scam sites investigated and collected each month.

Table of Contents: - Increase in Nintendo and PlayStation phishing - Securities-related scams generally decreasing, but Monex Securities remains high - Phishing Site Brand Ranking - Phishing Site Category Ratio - Points for preventing phishing damage - Free scam site diagnosis 'Scam Site Checker' - Comment from Professor Tatsuya Mori

Increase in Nintendo and PlayStation Phishing In February, a trend of increasing phishing sites impersonating gaming brands such as Nintendo and PlayStation was observed. Particularly for Nintendo, the possibility exists that attackers are targeting it due to the release of Nintendo Switch 2 and its availability. Also, while the number of phishing sites collected tends to decrease from late January to February annually, no significant decrease has been confirmed for fake sales sites. From this, it is necessary to continue to be cautious not only of phishing scams but also of various other fraudulent methods such as fake sales sites.

Securities-Related Scams Generally Decreasing, but Monex Securities Remains High Phishing sites impersonating securities companies, which were frequently confirmed last year, have significantly decreased this year. Last year, phishing sites targeting almost all securities companies were confirmed and widely reported, but this year, they have decreased to less than one-seventh of the previous year's level. On the other hand, phishing sites impersonating Monex Securities continue to be reported in large numbers compared to other securities companies. Based on past trends, attackers tend to spread phishing sites by changing targets. Therefore, there is a possibility that phishing sites targeting other securities companies may increase in the future, and continued caution is necessary.