Getting to know hackers: Cybervoys scare children by "boarding their parents"

Cybercriminals have started using dating chatbots to deceive teenagers in order to steal their parents' funds. In addition, underage Russians are being recruited to commit dangerous crimes by order of Ukrainian curators. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

Targeting teenagers

A 13-year-old schoolboy from the capital almost got into an unpleasant story when he started corresponding with a certain Alice in one of the Telegram dating chatbots. The young people began to arrange a meeting, and the girl asked the guy to send a geometry to understand which city he was from. He sent and in response received a video clip with an unknown person who introduced himself as a "militant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine." The man threatened to send the UAV to the coordinates he had sent.

The young Muscovite was not at a loss and immediately contacted the police. After that, a certain Anna Savitskaya wrote to him on Telegram, who introduced herself as an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. She also sent a memo in which she reported on the increased frequency of fraudulent actions using social engineering. "Attackers can trick the transmission of geolocation data; sending photos of the area. All this is being done to organize terrorist attacks on the territory of Russia," the message from the fake police officer said. It also outlined the algorithm of actions that are prescribed to be performed and not performed by a person in such cases.

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"Do not transmit any geodata, they can be used to organize terrorist attacks. If you have provided geolocation data to someone or provided unknown photos of the area, etc., immediately inform the next contact [...]," the memo says, indicating the account's nickname. The text is strictly aimed at minors, as indicated by the last paragraph: "If this message is ignored, your guardians will be urgently taken to the Investigative Committee to receive charges under Section 205, Part 1 of the Criminal Code and 275 of the Criminal Code." The story with the schoolboy ended without consequences, as the boy reported the incident to both his parents and the police, but some teenagers tend to be led by deceivers.

The son of publicist Mitya Samoilov got into a similar scheme, as the journalist wrote on his channel in mid-May.

"A girl wrote to her son in the Cart. Where did she get his contact? Yes, from anywhere, the phone number is not a secret. They corresponded about how tired they were of going to school, especially on Mondays. The usual chatter. She asks him where he studies, and asks him to throw off the geodata of the school. (...) The girl disappears, but another contact appears, who sends a recorded video circle. In the mug there is a well—fed muzzle in a cap with the Ukrainian flag and a signature — thank you for the help of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, wait for the rocket," the journalist wrote (punctuation and spelling are preserved). Then his son began to have a "nightmare" about a certain Anya, the "FSB curator." She tried to find out bank card details and codes, ostensibly to check whether her parents had transferred money to the militants.

Experts explain

The Solar Group experts analyzed the scheme especially for Izvestia.

— First, scammers create fake profiles in dating chat rooms, pretending to be teenagers. They try to appear friendly and gain the victim's trust. After establishing contact, they can ask you to send the location. At first glance, it seems harmless, but in fact it is a way to get information about the victim's location. As soon as the scammers get a geo-location, they start threatening. For example, they may claim that they have passed information to the "military" or other authorities. This causes the victim to feel fear and helplessness, and the attackers demand money or perform any actions.

Viktor Ievlev, head of the information security department of the Garda Group of companies, notes that in this case the main thing is not to panic.

"In critical circumstances, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB do not call, especially on video," he told Izvestia. — You just need to stop communicating. In case of concerns, you can contact the police, provide information, and your social media account will be blocked. Whether or not to let children access social media is a personal matter for parents, but parental control should be established.

How to keep a child safe

It is important to remember that most of the threats are bluffs, Solar Group emphasizes.

— Do not panic and do not make hasty decisions, — experts in the field of cybersecurity advise. — Never share personal information with strangers on the Internet, such as location, address, card numbers, or passwords. If you encounter such a situation, tell your parents or another trusted adult right away. Don't hide it! Immediately block the scammer and report him on the platform where the communication took place.

If the threats are serious, the company advises contacting the police. It is worth explaining to children that they should not be afraid to ask for help from adults.

— It is important for parents to regularly talk with their children about the rules of online behavior. Explain how to identify scammers and what to do in case of danger.

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Teaching children the basics of Internet security and developing critical thinking is the key to protecting them from such threats, experts say.

— Create an atmosphere of trust in the family so that the child can openly share his experiences and problems. Remember: Internet security is not only about technical means, but also about the culture of communication that we form together.