According to a recent alert from the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division, somebody is sending out complimentary smartwatches to military members across all American branches. It’s not a “thank you for your service” situation– the report says that the gadgets might be loaded with malware, planned to take individual info or snoop on conversations through built-in microphones.
The CID alert (found by PCMag and Defense News) does not in fact provide any proof that the smartwatches are being targeted to specific users, searching after either state tricks or the more usual personal phishing attempt. (Military members with security clearance aren’t even allowed to bring personal electronic devices past secure checkpoints, including phones and wearables, for apparent reasons.) A more apparent culprit is a scam called “brushing,” in which sellers will send out unsolicited bundles to addresses, fabricating that shipment as a confirmed “sale” on websites like Amazon, and then posting a phony evaluation.
This fraud is normally made with affordable, lightweight items (I’ve gotten baby wipes myself), but some knock-off smartwatches are now so cheap that it may just make good sense. Apple Watch impersonators are offered for as little as $15, and even at such low prices there’s stiff competitors for deal hunters.
The Army page suggests that service members do not switch on the watches, simply in case they’re rigged to scan regional Wi-Fi or linked phones for information, and report the devices to their pecking order or straight to the CID tip portal.
