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Loyalty points fraud is funding hacker holidays (Lock and Code S07E18)
Malwarebytes' Lock and Code podcast examines loyalty-points theft, with LexisNexis' Kim Sutherland explaining why stolen airline and hotel points are lucrative for fraudsters.
LexisNexis Risk Solutions' Kim Sutherland says loyalty currency is worth roughly one cent per point, making 100,000 airline points worth about $1,000 in the US. Cited incidents include a Chicago teacher who lost 240,000 airline points, discovered only via a confirmation email, and a man whose miles were used to book rental cars in New York and Memphis. The episode discusses how points theft happens and what companies and consumers can do.
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Scammers leave AI fingerprints all over fake antivirus renewal page
Malwarebytes found an AI-built fake Avast renewal page in Belgium whose contractor-style code comments show scammers now generate polished pages with AI.
Malwarebytes analyzed a fake Avast Premium Security renewal page targeting Belgian users, claiming a €129.99 subscription renewal and asking for name, email, and Belgian mobile number. Harvested numbers feed callback scams where fake support agents persuade victims to install remote access software. French comments in the code, written like an AI assistant's unfinished handover, plus leftover styling and feature-free marketing copy suggest the page was generated with AI, meaning convincing localized scam pages can now be produced in minutes.
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