Kaspersky gave tips on detecting fraudsters

To quickly identify a phone fraudster imitating your relative who is allegedly in a difficult situation, you need to ask him a question that only your loved one and you can know the answer to. This advice was given in the new issue of the Izvestia podcast by Natalia Kaspersky, Chairman of the Board of the ARPP "Domestic Software", President of InfoWatch Group.

"If they are calling on behalf of relatives, you need to have some way of identifying your own. To do this, it's a good idea to either have a secret question or remember something that you know about this person and that only you and he can know. For example, where did we go to drink coffee when we went to Crimea with you three years ago, or what is our pet's name?" she explained.

This should be information known to a very narrow circle and not appearing on social networks, the expert notes. Scammers carefully prepare, find out everything about the relatives of the potential victim, her financial situation and habits. Kaspersky urges, for the sake of their own safety, to talk less about themselves online.

"The less you post your photos, brag about your level of wealth, the better. People especially like to be photographed against the background of a car. Then they get a call and they're bribed for money because they think they're rich. Less information means less risk. You don't need to report your movements, otherwise: "I'm going on vacation, the keys are under the mat," the podcast guest is sure.

Also, according to Kaspersky, even if you realize that scammers are calling, you should not try to expose them, it is better to immediately interrupt the conversation.

"Some people think, 'I already realized that this is a fraud, now I'm going to tell him something, I'm going to argue with him.' Their task is to involve them. It's better to just not talk at all. For them, this is also an opportunity to remove the pattern of your voice, and then use it against you. Or call the bank, for example, and ask them to withdraw money with your voice," the interlocutor emphasized.

Kaspersky noted that over the past year, thanks to measures taken by the state, the negative trend has been reversed: if digital fraud was growing until the end of 2025, now it has begun to decrease.

On May 14, the press service of the Moshelovka platform of the Popular Front said that on the eve of the holiday season, fraudsters began using a new scheme: now they call the victim with a message about the alleged cancellation of the flight and offer to arrange a replacement for extra money. They reminded me that in such cases it is necessary to hang up the phone and call the tour operator yourself.