VTB reported on a scheme by fraudsters to create virtual cards for Russians using software

Fraudsters make virtual cards of Russians with the help of spyware. This was reported in VTB on December 12.

They said that the fraudulent scheme, which spread in November and December, combines two strategies - social engineering and spyware to steal customer card data, make its clone and pay through terminals with NFC.

VTB said that fraudsters call the victim, posing as employees of a cellular operator, and inform about the need to extend the service contract, and other pretexts can be used, such as updating antivirus, medical service applications. It is specified that this malware is a spyware that allows attackers to remotely control the device, including camera, microphone and NFC functions.

After the owner of the gadget has installed the application, the scammers, under the pretext of confirming the data for the renewal of the contract, say to take a picture or bring it to the smartphone and enter the old PIN code and supposedly change it to a new one, but it is not actually changed.

At this point, thanks to a spyware program, NFC is activated on the victim's phone, another program on the fraudster's gadget is used to capture the ID and expiration date of the card. This data is bound to the attacker's device, due to which they manage to withdraw money from ATMs and make contactless payments with NFC terminals.

"Fraudsters' attacks are becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated, combining social engineering and malware. Be vigilant and never install any applications from links sent to you in messengers. Applications of operators, retail chains, medical companies can be downloaded on their official resources, and all other software carries risks for your wallet," said Nikita Chugunov, Head of Digital Business Department, Senior Vice President of VTB.

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On the eve of the conversation with "Izvestia" experts said that the greatest increase in fraudulent activity is observed before vacations, vacations and during promotions, for example, before "Black Friday". New schemes appear very rarely, and classic ones, such as fake aggregator sites, are gradually losing popularity.

Over the past two years, the number of fraudulent sites and accounts in social networks related to the sale of airline tickets has decreased six times. Such data was provided by the service "Realbilet.rf" - a project of Aviasails, BrandSecurity and Roskachevo. At the same time, experts noted that the activity of fraudsters traditionally increases during the New Year's Eve period.