The expert spoke about protection against fraud using code words.

The code word used during important calls is considered the most reliable way to protect against fraudsters, Igor Biryukov, CEO of InfEra Security and ambassador of the Cyberdom Business Club, told Izvestia. According to him, it should not be the date of birth, address or place of work, as they are often indicated when registering on websites and can be compromised.

"My recommendation is to ask questions related to the personal context of communication. For friends, the question of the year or circumstances of acquaintance is suitable, for example: "What grade have we been friends from?" For relatives, it's about family moments, and for colleagues, it's about work details, such as the office number or HR department. The main thing is to be vigilant and ready to ask such a question," Biryukov said.

The expert emphasized that fraudsters have a large amount of information about their victims, which makes it easy for them to mislead. Attackers have learned how to fake audio messages and create fake video messages in messengers, so any suspicious requests or information should be checked.

According to Biryukov, collecting data on Russians is an entire industry where personal information is extracted from merged databases and used to prepare attacks. Hackers use sophisticated IT systems and artificial intelligence to analyze large amounts of data, identify vulnerabilities, and build deception schemes.

"Today, the personal data of all residents of Russia is publicly available. Fraudsters use specialized software to analyze information and prepare attacks. This is not just data theft, but also their encryption and subsequent sale. The key protection is the ability to recognize a threat and use simple but effective protection measures," the expert concluded.

For more information on how to choose a code word, see the Izvestia article.