VietNamNet Bridge – Software that can send faked messages to mobile phones are popular on many small ad websites and forums for teens in Vietnam. Many people have become the victims of it.

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According to advertisement for Y-FAKE Message V.51 unsiged S60 3rd software on a forum at http://hitech24h.com, users can produce faked message to send to any mobile numbers in the name of any contact in the contact list of mobile user.

Another software named DrJukka Fake Messages v1.10 is advertised on website gsm.vn to be able to send text messages that are processed inside the phone, without network connection so this service is free. Members of a forum on IT said that this software is designed for Symbian OS 9.1 operating system used by smart phones and it works very effectively.

On http://fakesmsvn.info, FakeSmSVN is praised to be the best service to send faked messages hidden under the name of anyone to tease others. However, users have to pay 50,000 dong to send 250 faked messages.

As of April 11 2010, users can directly send faked message from this website, without having to download and install the software.

Hoang Ha, who works at a finance company in Hanoi, said that one week ago, she received a message from her husband: “I’m in a meeting. Teacher asked me to pick up our son. He has a stomachache”.

Ha immediately called the teacher and was told that her son was playing with classmates and had not sent such a message. “I was ashamed but I couldn’t explain. Such a cruel joke!” Ha said.

Expert Nguyen Minh Duc from the BKIS Network Security Centre, said that experts can technically pursue the traces of the providers of this service if they have the assistance of mobile service providers and competent agencies.

“The use of these software will become extremely dangerous if faked messages are in the form of service announcements of banks or securities trading firms,” Duc said.

He suggested that mobile service providers prevent fake messages by building filtering system based on Internet protocols.

Officials of the Vietnam Computer Emergency Respond Team and representatives of seven mobile networks in Vietnam met on May 12 to find solution for fake messages.

EVN Telecom, MobiFone and VinaPhone said that they have prevented fake calls but not faked SMS.

Viettel said that it has had measures to deal with fake messages and it will test the measures in early June.

All mobile networks agreed that they need time to solve this matter.

PV