Playing for money: scammers began to use schemes with bank shares
Scammers began sending phishing links to Telegram with an offer to participate in promotions of large banks or well-known companies. Thanks to these links, they gain access to the victims' bank cards and steal their money, the Department for Combating the Illegal Use of Information and Communication Technologies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia explained. For more information about how fraudulent schemes with bank shares are organized and how to identify an attacker, read the Izvestia article.
What is known about the new schemes of fraudsters with bank shares?
A new scam scheme is operating in Telegram. There they create a channel and add an image similar to the logo of a recognizable large bank. Then, with the help of phishing links, the attackers convince potential victims to subscribe to this channel, said the Department for Organizing the Fight against the Illegal Use of Information and Communication Technologies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
Subscribers are invited to participate in a certain promotion, which allegedly allows them to receive from 50 to 70% cashback for purchases. At the same time, the link from the message in the Telegram channel leads to phishing sites. When clicking on it, the potential victim is immediately asked for passwords or SMS codes. If you enter them, fraudsters will get access to bank cards.
In connection with the spread of the scheme, the Interior Ministry again urged not to follow questionable links and not to share bank card data. All information about stocks and other offers of banks should be searched only in their official applications.
Large banks and companies have developed a dialogue with consumers, Konstantin Gorbunov, an expert on network threats and a web developer at the Security Code company, says in an interview with Izvestia.
— Therefore, they generate a large number of different activities.: from special promotions to offers to specific users. Messages about these activities come by e-mail, through applications, and sometimes through messengers, which is what scammers use," the expert explained.
What other schemes with bank shares should we expect in 2025?
The scheme involving shares of banks and large companies, which the Interior Ministry warned about, is not the only one of its kind in 2025, Maria Mikhailova, head of the Angara SOC brand protection group, said in an interview with Izvestia. In particular, in early 2025, criminals used rumors about the return of foreign companies to the Russian market and allegedly promised to restore old bonus cards.
— The attackers posted links to phishing sites, where they stole the victims' data. It is important to note that for their newsletters, scammers create fake accounts of well—known banks and companies not only on Telegram, but also on popular social networks, the expert says.
As Maria Mikhailova notes, they try to catch the victim on everything, even on the desire to unsubscribe from intrusive promotional email newsletters. By clicking on the "Unsubscribe" button at the end of the email, the user can get to a phishing site, where they will also try to steal data from him. However, in some cases, scammers may leave links to fake applications distributed under the guise of official ones. Through such applications, you can not only steal passwords and bank card data, but also monitor the activity of a person in general.
— In 2025, the topic of bank shares will be actively exploited by fraudsters, especially against the background of constant discussions on various forums and in the media about a possible reduction in the key rate, — Konstantin Gorbunov believes. — Scammers will regularly come up with themed fake promotions — for example, "Have time to open an account while the rate is high." The usual scheme of action is to drive the client into time constraints in order to "turn off" his mind, and then force him to enter confidential data on a fake website, the specialist emphasizes.
In turn, Maria Mikhailova adds that since banks and well-known companies often cooperate with major bloggers and media personalities, fraudsters can use neural networks and create deepfakes for similar fictional promotions and offers.
And with the help of neural networks and bots, they simulate a support service or automate mailing lists.
—In the future, voice bots and deepfakes with company managers may appear against the background of offices decorated in corporate colors, as well as imitation of company call centers," says the head of the Information security department at Banks.<url>" by Timur Garaev. — QR codes instead of links also have fraudulent potential: hidden phishing is used under the guise of tickets to an event or participation in a raffle.
Who are the targets and what are the dangers of bank stock schemes?
Fraudsters' "banking" attacks are designed for a large audience, says Maria Mikhailova. At the same time, attackers often rely on the victims' desire to "spend less" or "get bonuses." This situation creates a sense of urgency, which weakens critical perception and makes people hurry.
"Those who are not well versed in information security issues are especially vulnerable," the expert notes.
Such schemes are aimed at those who regularly select categories for cashback accrual, open deposits at favorable rates and generally monitor promotional items, that is, mainly for young people and middle-aged people, Konstantin Gorbunov adds.
— The target audience can be everyone from schoolchildren to pensioners. But those who are accustomed to trust mass mailings in messengers are in a special risk zone," says Timur Garaev.
According to him, the result of the attack may be not only the loss of money, but also the loss of access to all accounts — both bank accounts, messengers and social networks.
In the future, attackers can use the stolen information for blackmail or sale on the "black market," emphasizes Marina Probets, an Internet analyst and expert at Gazinformservice.
How to protect yourself from fraudulent schemes involving bank shares?
To protect their accounts and wallets, it is important for users to be extremely attentive to various advertisements on social networks and messengers, as well as to the accounts of banks and other well-known companies, says Anna Golushko, senior analyst at Positive Technologies, in an interview with Izvestia.
— We recommend checking accounts that publish attractive offers for their authenticity, — advises the specialist. — To do this, you can visit the company's official website or its social networks and check if such an offer actually exists.
It is important for users to improve financial and computer literacy, carefully follow links, carefully study the addresses of suspicious resources and refrain from providing personal information, adds Evgeny Egorov, a leading analyst at the Digital Risk Protection department at F6.
At the same time, companies should implement a range of information security measures, including automatic email filtering systems against spam and phishing, solutions for detecting hidden and previously unknown threats, as well as other modern means of preventing data leaks and theft of funds.
"It would be useful for ordinary users to use security solutions to protect themselves from various phishing and scam schemes," concludes Tatiana Shcherbakova, content analyst at Kaspersky Lab.
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