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- They will get rid of excess: how scammers deceive Russians who are losing weight
They will get rid of excess: how scammers deceive Russians who are losing weight
Fraudsters are using schemes against Russians related to preparations for the summer season, experts have warned about this. Attackers can offer virtual trainers and weight loss products to potential victims, but in reality they steal funds and personal data. Read the details in the Izvestia article.
What schemes should we expect in 2025
Preparation for summer is traditionally accompanied by an increase in interest in appearance, health and physical activity, says Nikolai Dolgov, an expert on cybersecurity at Angara Security, in an interview with Izvestia. This creates a fertile ground for scammers, as Russians are actively looking for weight loss medications, fitness club subscriptions, and "quick" ways to get in shape.
—Increased demand makes users more susceptible to high—profile promises, promotions and discounts, reducing vigilance and increasing the likelihood of falling for tricks," the expert explains.
In 2025, fraudulent schemes using artificial intelligence (AI) are likely to appear — faking video reviews about drugs or workouts with the participation of popular bloggers, says Nikolai Dolgov. Phishing mailings from "partners" of well-known brands may also be activated with the offer of free consultations or personal diets, which will conceal the collection of personal data.
— Virtual "personal trainers" on subscription platforms without the possibility of cancellation is another possible trend this year, — predicts the interlocutor of Izvestia.
Irina Dmitrieva, a cyber expert and analytical engineer at the Gazinformservice Cybersecurity research Laboratory, notes that AI trainers created by fraudsters can offer individual lesson plans, for which sensitive personal data (including biometric data) is requested from potential victims. This creates the risk of the victim's digital counterparts appearing to attack her environment, as well as generating positive feedback on fraudulent resources on her behalf.
"In 2025, criminals used the hype around weight loss products such as Ozempik and Munjaro to create fraudulent resources for the sale of these drugs," says Valeria Besedina, an analyst at the Positive Technologies research group. — The user was redirected from the phishing site to the messenger, and as soon as the payment took place, the correspondence stopped.
Alexandra Shmigirilova, GR director of the Security Code Information Security company, predicts that the basis of fraudulent schemes related to preparation for summer in 2025 will be a game on attractive payment terms for certain services. At the same time, only tools can change, among which AI is again considered one of the most modern.
"With the help of machine analysis, fraudsters will be able to process offer options more thoroughly, investigate consumer requests and needs, and therefore make their offers more personalized and attractive to potential victims," says the specialist.
How scammers deceived losing weight earlier
One of the most sophisticated ways to infect users' gadgets used to be mimicking fitness apps that functionally corresponded to the basic task of providing training tools (videos, instructions, and step trackers), says Irina Dmitrieva.
"However, the premium sections, for which a fee had to be paid, became the trigger for the theft of bank data," says the Izvestia interlocutor. — Entering the banking details led to a digital impression of the bank data, which "flew away" to the attackers.
In addition, the scammers sent phishing SMS messages about "blocking subscriptions" to fitness clubs. To extend the user's stay, they redirected him to fictitious websites that copied the design of the original pages of famous fitness clubs, Irina Dmitrieva notes. They tried to lure potential victims to such fake websites with tempting promotions and discounts in other ways, says Nikolai Dolgov. But after the payment, no subscriptions were provided on these resources.
"In previous years, there were also schemes for the sale of "miracle drugs" for weight loss that do not have certification or do not exist at all," the expert emphasizes.
What are the dangers of pre-flight schemes and how to protect yourself from them
Fraudulent schemes using health topics are a multi—layered threat that drains your wallet and can weaken your health, says Irina Dmitrieva. Young girls who immerse themselves in bodyshaming and high standards of beauty from a young age become the primary victims when faced with false advertising, which is placed by intruders.
— The main target audience is women from 18 to 45 years old who are actively interested in health, weight loss and appearance, as well as teenagers and young people who want to get results without much effort, — adds Nikolay Dolgov. — In addition, elderly people who fall for "wellness" drugs are also at risk. Such schemes are dangerous for personal data leakage, loss of funds, and malware infection of devices.
In order to protect themselves from fraud schemes related to preparing for the summer, Kaspersky Lab content analyst Tatiana Shcherbakova advises users to be careful online, not to follow links from questionable messages, check the website address before entering payment and other confidential data on it, and be critical of extremely generous make suggestions and use security solutions that detect a phishing or scam resource in time.
— In order not to become a victim of this kind of deception, it is necessary to remain vigilant — do not succumb to emotional pressure, — concludes Valeria Besedina. — Ignore aggressive ads like "Lose weight in three days" or "Celebrity Secret" — it's always a hoax. Finally, buy gym tickets and various medications in person or through official websites.
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