Malicious software, otherwise known as malware, is increasingly popular among scammers looking to commit fraud against banks and their customers. They use viruses and spyware that can steal your personal information and commit fraud. It’s spread by unsuspecting individuals who click or tap on a link or download something that infects their device.
More than half of U.S. consumers conduct their banking via mobile apps over any other method, according to a survey last year for the American Bankers Association. This breaks down to 55% of bank customers using banking apps on their phones and mobile devices, followed by 22% doing their online banking through a computer.
While many of our customers enjoy the convenience of mobile and online banking, we want to make sure you can do so as safely as possible. Consumers lost more than $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is a 25% increase from the year before.
How Malware Infects Your Devices and Steals from You
As an example of how malware works, let’s take a look at one of the most nefarious malware programs in recent years is known as “the Godfather” and was built to target financial institutions. It’s like an offer you can’t refuse, because it never asks permission to sneak its way onto your phone. Its creators keep tweaking its code to make it the most nefarious banking Trojan of 2025—so named because, like the Trojan horse of Greek mythology, this type of malware disguises itself to get past your phone’s defenses.
It’s estimated to have targeted hundreds of phone banking apps for Android devices worldwide, stealing confidential information so scammers can access your accounts. Once your phone is infected, the Godfather burrows into your device and hides within its operating system. It runs quietly in the background, where it can disable your antivirus apps, monitor your keystrokes, and steal all kinds of information.
When you log on to a mobile banking app, the Godfather inserts a fake logon screen that looks just like the real thing so it can steal your logon information and gain access to your accounts. Every new version of the Godfather becomes craftier and harder to detect. It can even trick you into granting it the permission it needs to scam you by making it seem like you’re granting access to a legitimate app, but you’re really opening the door for the Godfather.
While this particular malware targets Android devices, iPhone users can still face similar mobile fraud risks like phishing or account-takeover. The following safety tips below apply to both Android and iPhone users.
How Malware Scammers Infect Your Phone
Like any other Trojan, virus, or malware, there are a couple of tricks of the cyber hacking trade that scammers use to break through your phone’s defenses. In many cases, it’s because a phone’s owner let them in by accident or failed to secure their phone.
Downloading Malicious Apps
Official app stores from Apple, Android, Samsung, and the like take a close look at any app before making it available on their platforms. Unfortunately, some users venture outside the official channels to download apps from third-party providers or websites that might not be as careful or are offering compromised software on purpose. A developer could create an app not knowing that they’re using software that’s already infected, so the Trojan or malware sneaks its way into whatever app the developer creates.
This is especially risky if a developer uses software that is pirated, or they found online through the “dark web.” Malware apps have even found their way onto an official app store from time to time. That’s why it’s important to be choosy when downloading apps and only do so through official app stores owned by Android or your phone’s manufacturer. Getting your apps through the official channels may not keep you 100% protected, but you’ll still be a lot safer than downloading from a third-party provider. The Godfather, and other malware programs, can also be hidden within cloned apps and knockoffs.
For example, many developers offer free and paid versions of their apps. When something is popular, other developers will create their own versions of it to try to cash in on the trend. Unfortunately, scammers do this as a way of sneaking a Trojan scam onto your phone. If you find the “free” version of an app that’s a knockoff of the real thing, and made by some company you've never heard of, the real cost of installing that app could be giving hackers access to your phone and all your accounts.
Failing to Update Your Software
Hackers are constantly testing the operating system of your phone to look for weaknesses they can exploit, just as they do with your computer and other devices. That’s why your phone’s operating system and apps are updated from time to time, as their developers plug any holes they find and try to stay a few steps ahead of cybercriminals. Make sure you keep your phone’s software updated, as well as your apps, as a way to reduce your chance of getting hacked.
Phishing Texts and Emails
Every unexpected text message or email from someone you don’t know should be viewed suspiciously. Phishing scams are an attempt to get you to tap or click on a link that results in malware being installed on your phone or computer without you realizing it. The message might say you’ve won a prize. It might claim your device or one of your accounts has been compromised, offer you a job, or just about anything else to get you to open a link without thinking about it. In some cases, the link takes you to a bogus website so you can “change password” on one of your accounts or “update your personal information,” but it’s really just a way for scammers to steal from you.
Unsecured Wi-Fi
Free, public Wi-Fi might be convenient, but there’s no guarantee that it’s secure or that it hasn’t been compromised. Hackers can use Wi-Fi to launch a “man in the middle” attack where they intercept the Wi-Fi signal without anyone realizing it. They could use this to steal sensitive information or install malware on your device.
Compromised Websites
A website could have malicious software lurking within its pages without the owner even knowing about it. It could also be compromised intentionally, by hackers hoping to spread malware. Either way, it can result in malware being installed on your device without you granting permission or even realizing it, in what’s known as a “drive-by download.” You might receive a link to such a website through a text, email, or social media. While you’re enjoying the content on the page, your device is being infected.
How to Protect Yourself from Malware
While the following information is geared towards the Godfather virus specifically, any increase in your phone’s security can help you avoid other types of malware and protect your banking information. To begin with, only download software from official app stores such as Google Play and Apple. Avoid using third-party stores and don’t download anything from any links you receive by email, text, or social media.
Here are some other tips to help keep your phone safe:
Maintain Updates
Keep your device and all apps updated and install new updates as soon as possible.
Watch out for Bogus “Alerts”
Any text or email messages you receive from your bank or any other financial institution that warns you of fraud could be a scam itself. At West Shore Bank, we recently discovered that someone was impersonating us and sending a text message to our customers claiming there was a suspicious charge from a merchant. It includes a link to “verify” your account.
We would never ask you to reveal sensitive information via a text message and a link. If you receive this kind of message, avoid tapping on any links and verify the information some other way—such as calling the bank or whichever company the messenger claims to represent. Be sure to make that call through a number that you know to be legit, such as getting your bank’s number from its website, your debit card, or your monthly statement.
Check Your Permissions
Watch out for unusual permission requests, such as an app asking for more permissions than it needs to function—especially if it involves private information such as your bank account. You can find more information on how to change app permissions for Android devices at Google Play’s website and how to change app permissions for Apple devices at its website.
Don’t Hack Your Own Phone
Don’t “jailbreak” or “root” your device. Jailbreaking and rooting are two ways of describing the removal of your phone’s built-in software restrictions. Advanced users do this to gain more control over their device, but it can void your warranty, keep you from receiving software updates, and impair your phone’s built-in security systems.
Use Your Phone’s Security Systems
Enable Google Play Protect on your phone. It’s probably already working, but it’s worth making sure that it’s on. It can warn you about potentially harmful apps and scan your phone for malware. Apple has its own App Store security checks.
Consider Google Advanced Protection
Google Advanced Protection requires physical security keys or pass keys that look like a USB thumb drive and work on your phone and computers to prevent unauthorized access to your account and protect you from malware.
Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
A virtual private network (VPN) uses data encryption to protect your information when transmitted over Wi-Fi, whether you’re at home or in a public setting. Many workplaces use VPNs to keep their data and devices secure.
Use Anti-Malware Software
Install an anti-malware app that can warn you of dangerous websites before you visit them. Your web browser may do this automatically, but it might not catch everything. An antivirus app that works in conjunction with your web browser offers a dual layer of security.
You can also use anti-malware and antivirus programs to scan your phone and computer on a regular basis. While the operating system of your devices already does this, using software that’s specifically designed for this purpose could spot risks that your operating system may miss—and remove or sequester malware and viruses before they can do additional harm.
Use Multifactor Authentication
Use multifactor authentication for your accounts. Also known as two-factor authentication, this requires you to approve any logon attempts to your email, bank accounts, etc., through an app on your phone or by receiving a passcode that’s texted or emailed to your device. This way, even if someone hacked or guessed your password or PIN, they could still be blocked from accessing your account.
Don’t Share Your Codes
Cybercriminals would love to get your login codes, such as your password and multifactor logon. Scammers will try to get through multifactor authentication requirements by claiming to represent your bank or some other institution and saying they need you to grant them access to your accounts by sending them a multifactor code or granting them permission through whichever authentication app you use. At West Shore Bank, we would never ask for your login codes—and neither would any other company you do business with.
Use Strong Passwords and Biometrics
Using your pet’s name or your street address as a password is too easy for hackers to guess. Make sure your passwords are a combination of letters, symbols, and numbers, and don’t reuse the same password for anything. Whatever banking or financial apps you have on your phone should have their own PIN or password, in addition to the one on your phone. If your phone allows biometrics, such as a fingerprint or your face, that’s a security layer worth using.
Monitor Your Accounts
Monitor your bank, credit card, and other financial accounts regularly to watch for signs of fraud and consider setting up alerts for transactions above a certain dollar amount.
Work with Us to Keep Your Accounts Secure
At West Shore Bank, we’ve received calls from customers worried about an email or text message they received from someone claiming to represent our bank. As mentioned above, we would never ask for sensitive information via text. If you have any reason to be suspicious, you’re much better off contacting us online, calling us at (888) 295-4373, or visiting one of our branch locations.
We also encourage our customers to enable multifactor authentication on their bank accounts. For more information about online banking security, please check out the Fraud Prevention & Alerts page on our website. It has information on how to avoid scams and identity theft for individuals and businesses. You can also read our blog articles on How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams and how to Fight Fraud with Positive Pay.