To rent a room: scammers began to rent accounts of Russians in messengers
Fraudsters have become more likely to rent other people's accounts in messengers for deception schemes, the Interior Ministry said. They usually "buy" profiles from schoolchildren, students, or retirees who are looking for easy part-time jobs online. However, the money earned — from 500 to several thousand rubles — usually turns into trouble for the owner in the form of blocking the number, loss of trust of loved ones, and even criminal cases. Izvestia found out why criminals need other people's accounts and how they can suffer when they surrender them.
Room for rent
Scammers have become more likely to rent other people's accounts in messengers to deceive Russians. The Interior Ministry warned about this, noting that when a scheme is detected, such numbers are blocked.
— Call centers of foreign criminals are increasingly renting accounts for calls to residents of Russia for a monetary reward. To prevent this, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with interested departments, has begun implementing measures to suspend the provision of communication services to owners of numbers that are used for illegal purposes," said Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk.
Cybersecurity experts call number blocking the tip of the iceberg of a dangerous trend. The offer to make money easily by giving up your phone number or account on social networks and messengers only seems harmless — especially for children, teenagers and pensioners who do not understand what they are doing.
— There is a whole industry of remote fraud behind this, where the account holder turns from a "landlord" into the first victim and accomplice of crimes, often criminal ones, — says Sargis Shmavonian, a leading manager for work with educational organizations at Cyberprotect.
Therefore, in the best case, he notes, the person will simply lose the number. And at worst, he will be liable, up to imprisonment and heavy fines.
Why do scammers rent other people's accounts?
As Sergey Polunin, head of the Gazinformservice IT infrastructure Solutions protection group, explains to Izvestia, it is more profitable for fraudsters to rent accounts than to create their own, for several reasons. Firstly, they do not need to be "warmed up" — there is already a list of contacts for deception. Secondly, such a profile can easily be checked by anti-fraud systems, because for many years people have been writing messages, calling and making purchases from it. And thirdly, the criminal does not need to leave any personal data.
— Using such accounts avoids identification. Registering your own accounts involves confirming your phone number and fixing your IP address, which makes it easier to identify yourself. Transferring an account to third parties ensures anonymity and complicates the work of investigative authorities. For many scammers, this is a key factor in building schemes," explains lawyer Sean Betrozov.
Most often, says Polunin, scammers buy accounts in the same messengers and social networks. They usually pay a little — from 500 rubles to several thousand, depending on the "age" and account activity. However, the amount is still small, especially considering the risks, so such offers attract only a certain audience — the unemployed, schoolchildren and students.
— They often look for victims in groups with side jobs, while disguising themselves as legal. For example, they offer "working as an operator", "checking services", "searching for accounts for advertising and promotion". This creates a false sense of legality and simplicity," adds Sargis Shmavonian, an expert at Cyberprotect.
According to him, sometimes criminals rent people's bank accounts along with phone numbers — they also pay a little for this, up to several thousand rubles. Such amounts are negligible compared to the damage inflicted on victims of fraud (we are talking about millions of rubles) and the consequences for the "landlord" himself. This is a deliberate tactic — to offer enough to entice the victim into a "deal", but at the same time — negligible in the scale of possible profit from the criminal scheme.
How do scammers use rented rooms?
Rented numbers and accounts can be used for various scenarios, from advertising criminal communities and creating bots to cashing out stolen money or even outright fraud on behalf of the account owner, says Sergey Polunin.
His colleague, expert Sarkis Shmavonian, divides criminal scenarios into several groups:
- Phishing is the main application. A rented account is a legitimate communication channel through which it is much easier to lure confidential information (passwords, CVV) or scare the victim, for example, from the host's contact list, to transfer money.
- Launching malware. Under the pretext of "technical support" or "security checks," the victim may be persuaded to install a remote access program (such as AnyDesk, TeamViewer) or a Trojan that will directly steal money or data.
- Building trust networks. Messages from "normal" accounts are used to involve new victims in other schemes (pyramid schemes, "investments") or to spread fraudulent offers among the account owner's trusted contacts.
— When calling victims, criminals use all the same legends with representations from the bank's security service, the Investigative Committee or the police, when a person is informed about unauthorized transactions and offered to "secure" their savings. All contacts with the victim are conducted through an account that does not belong to the criminal," explains lawyer Sean Betrozov.
Also, he adds, criminals can create fictitious online stores and trading platforms — and "sell" goods from someone else's account, and then receive money and disappear. Or register on crypto exchanges, digital asset exchange services, and electronic payment systems. Transactions are carried out through them for the purpose of cashing out, legalizing funds, and withdrawing them abroad. In these cases, the account owner becomes part of a criminal scheme, regardless of the level of awareness.
What is the threat of renting out your phone number or account?
Renting out a phone number can carry many risks for a person, from personal to reputational or even criminal. First of all, as the Interior Ministry noted, this is a number lock — and this is not just a loss of communication.
— A phone number is the key to digital life: banking applications, social networks, messengers, Public Services, and work accounts. The person's ability to confirm operations, including restoring access, will be blocked. Recovery is a long, difficult, and sometimes impossible process, especially if the number was linked to many critical services," says Sarkis Shmavonian.
In addition, he adds, a person may lose the trust of his family and friends if they were deceived on his behalf. As well as money from their accounts if the scammers who gained access to the number intercepted the SMS codes and got to the online bank or electronic accounts.
Also, the transfer of access to one's means of communication can be qualified as complicity in fraud (art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). It is extremely difficult to prove complete ignorance in practice. Courts are increasingly adopting the position of "ignorance does not absolve from responsibility," especially if a reward has been received. Article 174.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Legalization of criminally obtained funds") is also possible if money laundering, tax evasion, and other financial transactions with stolen funds are carried out through accounts linked to a phone number.
— If false documents were used, Article 327 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation applies. In case of obtaining access to other people's information without permission, Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation may be imputed. A selfish motive, for example, if the transfer of the account was carried out for a fee, is regarded by the court as an aggravating circumstance," says lawyer Sean Betrozov.
At the same time, he adds, the account owner may incur not only criminal, but also civil liability. Victims have the right to claim damages if a link is established between the actions of the owner and the consequences that have occurred. In addition, most online services provide for the deletion or permanent blocking of an account in case of violation of the user agreement.
Methods of protection
In order to protect yourself from participating in such schemes, Izvestia experts recommend not agreeing to questionable side jobs on social networks and messengers, no matter how harmless they may seem.
— Any offer related to transferring access to your phone number, account, or SIM card for money is one hundred percent fraud. It's the same as giving a stranger a passport for a fee," says Sarkis Shmavonian. — After all, in fact, a number is not just a means of communication, but your digital passport, linked to important aspects of life. By law, all accounts activated on a specific phone number belong to the owner of the phone number, he is solely responsible for the data posted there. This means that protecting the phone number and accounts is his direct responsibility.
In addition, he adds, it is important to tell your loved ones about the dangers of such "side jobs" — especially children and the elderly, who are more likely to accept tempting offers online. It is worth teaching them not to trust strangers, not to reply to messages, not to click on links and not to disclose any personal information.
Finally, it is important to observe technical hygiene measures and teach this to older and younger relatives.
- To use two-factor authentication everywhere not via SMS, and through the specialized app ("Yandex. Key", Google Authenticator). This makes it impossible for scammers to intercept the code through your own number.;
- Block anyone who comes with a similar "suggestion". Inform the telecom operator, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (via the official website) and the administration of the platform where you received the offer (VK, Telegram, etc.).
When an account is hacked, lawyer Sean Betrozov advises you to register the fact of contacting technical support or the internal affairs authorities. This is useful if the account is used without the owner's knowledge.
— Special attention should be paid to SIM cards - in case of phone loss, you need to contact your telecom operator to block the number. Accounts registered on a phone that is physically located in another person's possession are a serious risk factor, especially if the account is linked to financial transactions, the Izvestia source concludes.
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