Smartphone owners are being warned to take care when downloading files onto their devices after the emergence of a nasty new virus.
Security experts from fraud management firm Cleafy expect shameless cyber thieves will start using the vicious bug to swindle Brits out of their cash
The malware program is thought to only attack Android operating systems at present, they explained.
Cleafy told the Daily Express the malicious software is called BRATA and allows hackers to monitor bank transactions and collect sensitive information.
This vital data becomes a hot commodity for cyber thieves who either sell it on or steal the money themselves.
But the virus doesn't finish there. It then forces the device to factory reset, allowing scammers to cover their tracks.
This wipe will delete everything from priceless family photos to work contacts and the victim has no way of stopping it.
The BRATA bug is relatively new in the cyber security field, having first been detected in 2019 by security researchers at Russian multinational cyber-security firm, Kapersky.
Though it was discovered by a Russian company, the hackers were targetting users in Brazil, Cleafy told the Daily Express.
The virus is not confined to South America any longer and has been spreading at an incredibly fast rate, making its way across the Atlantic - with the UK, Poland, and Italy expected to be targeted soon.
This bug is also evolving at a rapid rate with new features that are making it harder to detect and more devastating once it infects a phone.
Although this attack sounds terrifying there is a pretty simple way to avoid becoming a victim of it.
It appears that crooks are distributing BRATA via a download and, unlike many other forms of malware, it's not yet been found on official app stores such as Google Play.
That means as long as you keep to well-known and trusted platforms when installing applications and files, you should be safe.
Where you must be alert is when receiving a text message or WhatsApp chat that asks you to download a file onto your device, as this could make you a target.
Speaking about the new attack, Cleafy said: "A new BRATA variant started circulating last December.
"Our research shows that it has been distributed through a downloader to avoid being detected by antivirus solutions.
"The target list now contains further banks and financial institutions in the UK (new), Poland (new), Italy, and LATAM.
"According to our findings, we can expect BRATA to keep staying undetected and to keep developing new features."
