- Payroll Pirates spoofed HR platforms via ads to steal credentials and MFA codes
- Over 200 platforms were targeted, affecting around half a million users
- Telegram bots enabled real-time phishing, infrastructure spanned Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and cloaked domains
Scammers have been spoofing payroll systems, credit unions, and trading platforms across the US in a bid to steal login credentials and multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes, experts have warned.
Cybersecurity researchers from Check Point named the perpetrators ‘Payroll Pirates’, who use paid ads on popular networks such as Google or Bing to advertise spoofed payroll and HR portals.
When a victim employee searched for their platform of choice (instead of simply typing in the address in the address bar), they would see the fake site promoted at the top. Those that unknowingly clicked the link and tried to log in effectively relayed their credentials to the attackers.
Returning stronger
Over time, the operation targeted more than 200 platforms and lured in an estimated half a million users, the researchers claim.
The campaign appeared to go dormant in late 2023, but returned in mid-2024 with upgraded phishing kits capable of bypassing two-factor authentication.
Operators used Telegram bots to interact with victims in real time, requesting one-time codes and other security answers. The kits’ backend was also redesigned to hide data exfiltration paths, making the infrastructure much harder to detect or dismantle.
Since the group runs two major infrastructure clusters, Check Point believed this to be multiple different campaigns.
One uses Google Ads and “white page” redirects hosted in Kazakhstan and Vietnam, while the other relies on Bing Ads and aged domains filtered through cloaking services. However, subsequent investigation determined this was all part of a single, unified network. Logs showed at least four administrators managing Telegram channels tied to different targets, such as payroll platforms, credit unions, and healthcare benefits portals.
They even found one of the admins posting a video from Odessa, concluding that at least one of the operators was based in Ukraine. Payroll Pirates remain active, constantly refining their tactics, and targeting anyone whose paycheck moves online, Check Point ultimately warned.
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