[RndTbl] What do I have to do to get some scam sites shut down?

[Trevor Cordes]

On 2024-03-15 Brian Lowe wrote:
> Recently I've received SMS alerts regarding package delivery problems 
> directing me to three different scam sites:
> 
> * completeshipingform.info (note the misspelling)
> * shipment-overview.info
> * shipmentsetback.info

Ya, I've seen an explosion in sms scams in the last few months.
Packages, taxes/CRA, online account problems (e.g. Netflix).  It's a
bit shocking as I work with a company sending legit sms and it's a)
really hard to get even legit things accepted by carriers, b) it's hard
to get new 10DLC and TFN (phone numbers you send from) approved, and c)
it costs money (per text).

The best advice I can offer at the moment is your sms reading program
on the phone should let you long-click something to get a block number
option.  However, they bounce around numbers all the time, but at least
you won't deal with the same one twice.

> designed for mobile devices; if the user-agent indicates a desktop
> browser they redirect to Google. (One can get around this by
> installing an add-on to spoof the user-agent.)

That's interesting!  If it's phishing, why do they care the platform?
I wonder if it's attempts to exploit all the recent phone OS exploits,
like the image overflow one?

Does the final site ask you for credentials or cards or anything
(typical phishing)?  Or does it look like it goes nowhere (maybe
attempted CVE exploits).

> I complained to NameSilo, the registrar. They told me they don't care
> what's running on the site they've registered.

Registrar doesn't have much to do with it... but...

> I've filed multiple complaints with Alibaba Cloud, who are apparently

The web hoster should care.  Of course, "Alibaba" hints this is a
hoster in China?  You won't get anywhere with them, don't even bother.
Only a hoster in a reputable country will care, and even then...

People just need to assume everything they get in text/email is a
lie/scam.  I read some article the other day that said Canadians fall
for this garbage to the tune of (I can't recall but somewhere around)
hundreds of millions a year.  The best us computer guys can do is
instill this required sense of distrust in lay-people.