Entering the search keywords "reading messages", "reading services"... on the Facebook platform, we received results of dozens of groups advertising services with the number of members up to tens of thousands of people. Besides, there are also services of eavesdropping on calls, tracking location on phone SIM cards...
Cheap price, enthusiastic advice
Posing as a customer who wants to see other people's messages on Facebook and Zalo, we contacted the admin of the Fanpage "Message reading and tracking service" and were quoted 1 million VND for Messenger messages and 2.5 million VND for Zalo messages. The service period is until the account owner who was read changes the password.
According to the instructions, customers only need to send the Facebook link or Zalo phone number of the person they want to monitor, and the service provider can help read all messages, including deleted data. "I will check the password of the Facebook and Zalo account owner, then you log in to view the message. However, you must access through the link we provide, enter the information we send and suspend the account on that link so that the message is updated regularly" - the admin of the Fanpage above advises.
Another Facebook page called "Technology company meets essential needs remotely" also advertises a service providing remote phone tracking software. This page offers a fee of only 600,000 VND/time for using the software to eavesdrop and read messages on social networks and phone SIM cards, with a monthly fee of 230,000 VND. After being sent a link, customers enter the phone number of the person they want to track and transfer the fee.
Some Facebook users have reported that services for reading, eavesdropping, or recovering messages advertised on social networks are mostly scams. To gain trust, the subjects often provide enthusiastic advice and promise to refund the money if the account cannot be hacked. However, after transferring money, the victims are immediately blocked by the scammers for messages and calls.
A "forest" of advertisements for message-reading services on social networking sites
Violation of the law
Mr. Pham Dinh Thang, a security expert, warned that those who want to read messages when accessing links of unknown origin sent by service providers can become the first prey of scammers. "Those links are highly likely to contain malicious code, which means that bad guys can penetrate the buyer's device to collect information, even steal money in the bank account. Or, there is a risk that the subjects will use personal information to scam and steal money from others" - Mr. Thang noted.
According to Mr. Thang, it is possible to eavesdrop and eavesdrop on messages and calls when the service provider installs malware software on the device of the person being monitored. However, if only providing a phone number or Facebook address, it is impossible to achieve the above purpose, unless the person being monitored uses a very simple password, but this rate is very rare.
According to Mr. Huynh Trong Thua, an information security expert, it is possible to read messages from a Facebook account by making the person being monitored access a link containing malicious code such as Keylogger software. After that, Facebook calls will be automatically recorded, videotaped and transferred to the "dirty" service provider. "The subjects providing these services are all in the dark, so it is easy for customers to transfer money first and then they disappear. Not to mention, the service users are not only victims of fraud but also violate the law" - Mr. Thua recommended.
In-depth analysis of the legal perspective, lawyer Truong Van Tuan, from the Trang Sai Gon Law Firm, said that the act of reading messages and eavesdropping on calls is a violation of privacy. Violators can be fined 10-60 million VND depending on the severity and consequences. In addition, violators are also forced to destroy all information collected as a result of the violation.
If there are sufficient elements to constitute a crime, the subjects may be prosecuted for the crime of "Violating the confidentiality or security of mail, telephone, telegram or other forms of private information exchange of others" as prescribed in the Penal Code with a prison sentence of up to 5 years. In the case of providing false information to defraud or appropriate the property of others, this group of subjects may also be fined 2 - 3 million VND or prosecuted for the crime of "Fraudulent appropriation of property" with the highest penalty being life imprisonment.
Tech giants also invade privacy?
Recently, Meta (Facebook's parent company) was accused of giving Netflix access to Messenger users' messages to collect data for advertising purposes. Although Meta denied the accusations, explaining that the access was only intended to allow users to share the content they were watching with friends, public opinion believes that selling user data to third parties without consent is a blatant violation of users' privacy.
Commenting on this story, Mr. Pham Dinh Thang said that it is possible that this is a way for technology service businesses to make money in the context of sharp decline in revenue every year. Meanwhile, Mr. Huynh Trong Thua acknowledged that Meta probably would not trade its reputation just to increase advertising revenue, even though this brings great benefits in that customers can easily access products and services that best suit their needs.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/phat-hoang-voi-dich-vu-doc-trom-tin-nhan-196240413204434371.htm
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