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- Reaching for the beautiful: scammers promise Russians a free visit to a beauty salon
Reaching for the beautiful: scammers promise Russians a free visit to a beauty salon
Fraudsters use various ways to deceive Russians on social networks, experts have warned about this. So, more than 190 people have already been affected by the new scheme of intruders, when they steal money by offering free visits to beauty salons since mid-March. For more information about the dangers of scam offers and how to protect yourself from them, see the Izvestia article.
How the new cheating scheme works
Analysts at Digital Risk Protection F6 warned that girls were being deceived under the pretext of free visits to beauty salons. According to experts, the attackers pretend to be successful men aged 30-35 on dating services. They post other people's real photos from business magazines in their profiles.
In correspondence, the scammer creates the impression of a wealthy and serious person who easily makes contact. He says that he owns a chain of beauty salons and wants to give his interlocutor a free visit with premium services.
After receiving the victim's consent, the attacker sends her a booking link, as well as a personal promo code. The name of the studio and the design of the website copy the Internet page of a real beauty salon in Moscow. The girl fills out the form, specifies the promo code, name and phone number. After that, Android users are asked to download a proprietary application to confirm the recording. In fact, malicious software is being downloaded that can remotely control the device, including intercepting financial data and SMS messages from banks.
iPhone owners are asked to confirm the recording using an Apple ID. When a girl enters a two-factor authentication code, attackers take control of the smartphone.
What other "female" schemes from scammers should we expect in 2025
The scheme that Digital Risk Protection F6 analysts have identified is multi-layered, says Yakov Filevsky, an expert in sociotechnical testing at Angara Security, in an interview with Izvestia. She exploits human curiosity and the joy of gifts, a sense of exclusivity and being chosen, but all this is wrapped in the context of stereotypes about women's interests and hobbies.
"The success of scammers can also be facilitated by the low level of digital literacy of victims and non—compliance with basic principles of cybersecurity," the expert notes.
According to Yakov Filevsky, in 2025, attackers may start using other schemes to deceive Russians on social networks. The most obvious ones will be related to the spread of deepfakes, content created using neural networks and fake photos of real people due to the increased availability of technology. At the same time, the range of possible types of scams using AI is wide.: This may be blackmail with generated pornographic content that causes reputational damage, or an improvement of the scheme already described to create the illusion of a romantic relationship.
What schemes have been used to deceive women before
Hackers have tried to deceive Russians online in previous years. As Irina Dmitrieva, an analytical engineer at the Gazinformservice cybersecurity research laboratory, says in an interview with Izvestia, a scheme was previously popular in which criminals posed as foreign citizens.
— The conversation quickly boiled down to the need to provide financial assistance to the foreigner. The victims were lured by promises of expensive gifts and the prospect of moving to foreign countries," the expert says.
According to Irina Dmitrieva, excluding international cases, on dating sites, scammers often shower their interlocutors with compliments and admit to lofty feelings that strengthen the girls' attachment to intruders. Their interaction quickly boils down to clarifying personal details of life and luring out photos of a personal nature for subsequent blackmail.
Yakov Filevsky adds that scammers, using fake profiles, present themselves as attractive and wealthy men (businessmen, military men, doctors), show increased attention and care. Criminals can correspond for a long time in order to gain trust.
— Gradually, they create emotional dependence, which is subsequently used to lure financial resources by various methods: from a banal loan of money "to a salary" due to some kind of emergency situation to involvement in gambling or investment business, - explains the specialist.
An important feature of such schemes is the gradual increase in the requested amounts and the creation of situations in which the girl feels guilty in case of refusal, says Yakov Filevsky. At the same time, such emotional manipulation is often based on the isolation of the victim from loved ones. Scammers limit a woman's social circle, instilling distrust in the advice of relatives and friends. This increases dependence on the manipulator and reduces the criticality of suspicious requests.
What are the dangers of such schemes?
The schemes of intruders are dangerous with financial losses, identity theft, psychological trauma and loss of trust in the world and others, says Yakov Filevsky. Of the less obvious threats, the expert highlights the use of girls as intermediaries in crimes through emotional tricks, such as social responsibility or causing lasting reputational damage.
— Women are an audience that is more open to interlocutors, more trusting and empathetic, which means they are more susceptible to fraudulent schemes. Accordingly, the risk of successful attacks increases and, as a result, the associated loss of data and finances," says Alexandra Shmigirilova, GR director of the Security Code information security company.
Irina Dmitrieva also draws attention to the fact that in case of receiving personal photos and confidential information, attackers can fake the profile of the interlocutor and use a fake digital portrait to deceive the victim's loved ones. At the same time, manipulating female empathy when dating on social media reduces the level of trust in dating platforms and people.
"Victims come to a state of devastation and severe emotional distress, which reduces the quality of life," the expert emphasizes.
How to protect yourself from scammers on social networks
Experts interviewed by Izvestia advise following the basic rules of cyber hygiene and remembering that the likelihood that in the modern world someone will offer you something for free without any consequences and obligations is close to zero.
— You need to be moderately suspicious, give out a minimum of sensitive information about yourself, carefully check your interlocutors and do not click on any links, do not enter passwords, and so on, - warns Alexandra Shmigirilova.
The expert advises to take into account that in addition to financial losses, the user may lose control of his device if he enters a password on an unfamiliar website or installs an unknown program. Irina Dmitrieva adds that it is important to check your privacy settings on social networks, hide all redundant information from your profile, and carefully respond to messages from strangers.
— It is forbidden to transfer money to vague strangers from the Network, and when communicating with them, it is important to keep a clear mind even with the most tempting offers and frank compliments, — the expert notes.
Yakov Filevsky points out that for security reasons it is worth avoiding posting online information about financial status, exact location or family circumstances.
It is necessary to critically evaluate friend requests, especially from strangers with minimal profile information or newly created accounts. Suspicion should be aroused by pages with professional photos, but few friends or lack of interaction with other users, the expert concludes.
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