Qihoo 360 sees 102.6% rise in phishing attacks

China's internet security giant Qihoo 360 blocked 790 million phishing website attacks directed at its mobile users between July and September, a company report said on Thursday.

The figure is a 102.6 percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to the report.

Of the blocked attacks, more than 80 percent were related to gambling, while fake finance and recruitment advertisements had also risen rapidly.

The report added that most complaints to an anti-fraud platform developed by Qihoo 360 and the Beijing Public Security Bureau were related to counterfeit online financial services.

Over the stated period, 6,172 complaints were from people who said they were cheated out of money, amounting to about 90 million yuan ($15 million) in total, according to the report.

Of that, more than 51 million yuan was defrauded after the purchase of online financial services, it said.

"Although public security authorities, internet companies and telecom departments across the country have made greater efforts against online fraud, some fraudsters still find new ways to attack mobile phone users to swindle them," Qihoo 360 said, suggesting that users keep security software up to date and to be wary of calls from strangers.