Bozar almost loses $50,000 in phishing attack

Brussels’ flagship arts centre Bozar almost lost $50,000 in a phishing attack.

The Victor Horta-designed mecca for exhibitions, concerts and events that opened in 1928 immediately informed its bank when it became aware of the scam.

The cultural centre managed to block the transaction, receiving a full refund of the money equivalent to €46,000, its spokesperson Andries Bomans said.

“I can confirm that there was an attempt at fraud, that it was discovered and that Bozar did not lose any money. We have lodged a complaint with the police and reported it to the Belgian Cybersecurity Centre.”

The cyber criminal attempted to divert a $50,000 deposit from Bozar to a museum in South Africa, a source said. The internet fraudster used an official museum email address in the phishing attempt.

Cybercrime is becoming more common in the cultural sector and this is not an isolated case.

The Belgian Cybersecurity Centre’s latest "Empowering Cybersecurity" report (January-September 2023) notes that ransomware (malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid) will be the biggest threat for 2024.

But it added: “Phishing remained one of the main attack vectors used by threat actors to install malware in a targeted system, but also one of the most used type of attacks to steal data, such as personal information and credentials, and to conduct cyber fraud activities.

“Phishing attacks largely leverage social engineering techniques that rely on human error rather than technical vulnerabilities and represent a risk both for Belgian organisations and for individuals.”