Mobile users fall victim as thieves swoop

A growing number of Internet thieves are stealing money from smartphone users, especially male ones, through mobile viruses, according to a report issued on Monday.

Published by the Tencent Research Institute, the report said that out of 16.7 million new phone viruses it detected last year, about 326,000 were viruses that can lead to the theft of key personal information on payment accounts.

Despite the relatively small proportion of the payment-related mobile viruses, 25.05 million phone users became victims of them last year, according to the report titled Internet Black Industry Research.

Mao Shengbin, deputy secretary-general of the institute, said the new trend in viruses comes amid the increased use of mobile payments in China.

People are using smartphones not only to pay for online purchases, but also for bills, cab fares and even groceries at convenience stores.

“Many people haven’t got into the habit of being cautious when using their smartphones because the mobile payments market has just started to take off,” Mao said.

He added that not every company in China’s mobile payments industry has high standards of Internet security, leaving loopholes for the viruses.

Male phone users appear to be more vulnerable than females when facing such risks. The report said about 71 percent of those who experienced payment viruses last year were male.

Li Hong, senior director of the mobile payments and financial risk control unit at Internet giant Tencent Holdings, said, “It could be that women are more cautious than men when they receive questionable texts or quick response codes.”

Sixty-five percent of those who had such viruses are aged between 19 and 35 — the main users of the mobile Internet in China.

The top five cities with the heaviest financial losses resulting from the payment viruses last year were Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, and Shanghai.

The institute said it is possible to steal money from accounts online if key information is obtained such as the name, ID card number, bank card number and mobile phone number linked with a bank card.

Min Xiaoding, 56, who lives in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, has long harbored doubts about mobile payments. He said he is afraid to link his debit card to his WeChat account because of the risk of his personal details being leaked.

“But when everyone around you starts to shop online and buy wealth management products via smartphones … it is so difficult not to join in because mobile phones are ruling people’s lives in China,” he said.