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- Personal intrusion: fraud attacks on Telegram users increased 19 times
Personal intrusion: fraud attacks on Telegram users increased 19 times
On the eve of the New Year, attacks by fraudsters on Telegram users increased 19 times. Only in November-December 2024, their number amounted to more than a thousand, while for the same period in 2023, only 54 cases were recorded, the Coordination Center for .RU/.RF domains told Izvestia. Attackers use a variety of schemes: these are fake social payments for the holidays, and New Year sales, and cheap tickets to Christmas trees for children. How not to get caught in the bait of miscreants - in the material "Izvestia".
What schemes are used by scammers before the holidays
In Russia on the eve of the New Year, fraudsters have become more active in attacking Telegram users, luring various promotions and allegedly favorable offers. Since November 2024, the number of such cases has exceeded 1 thousand, when for the same period of 2023 was recorded only 54, told "Izvestia" in the Coordination Center of domains .RU /.RF.
- It is especially noteworthy that the quality of "service" of attackers has improved noticeably. Their messages have become more literate and convincing," said Evgeny Pankov, the center's project manager .
Fraudsters use a variety of schemes to hack into user accounts: fake social payments for holidays, New Year sales, and cheap tickets to Christmas trees, concerts and plays, he said. For example, in one scenario, fraudsters create Telegram channels in which they spread fake messages about the possibility of Russians receiving "pre-New Year's payments."
- They are talking about a decree allegedly signed by the president to pay 17,490 rubles to all Russians, and in others - about 10,000 rubles under the fictitious state program "A Gift to Every Home". To make it more believable, scammers use official wording and often accompany posts with a photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin," said Yevgeny Pankov.
After that, users are offered to pass a "simple check" to receive a payment. As a rule, it looks like following a link or sending a code, which is supposedly needed to confirm identity, he explained. The link opens a phishing site where the user is asked to enter a phone number and a code from an SMS that comes from Telegram to log into the account. This is how fraudsters gain access to the account, he explained.
With the sale of tickets for Christmas trees and concerts is about the same scheme, added Evgeny Pankov. In this case, fraudsters run advertisements or publish posts about selling tickets at low prices to attract the attention of potential victims, and when the buyer shows interest, he is offered to contact via Telegram to clarify the details. The user is then sent a link to the phishing site.
Telegram, compared to other messengers, provides users with variability in information exchange: public channels, public chats, and bots. This is used both by real companies and conscientious users, and fraudsters posing as the former and the latter, said "Izvestia" leading analyst of the department of protection against digital risks of the company F.A.C.C.T. Evgeny Egorov. Evgeny Egorov.
- Outbursts of phishing pages appearance, their active promotion in messenger are connected with expansion of "partner programs" of fraudulent groups and further development of phishing automation. The trend of spreading fraud through popular messengers is not going down," the expert said.
How users can secure their data
The New Year's Eve rush is the ideal time for attackers to steal users' personal data or passwords, because the mass purchase of gifts and choice of entertainment dulls vigilance, said Maria Kovtun, a leading AppSec engineer at Swordfish Security Group.
- The most common type of attack is sending invitations to phishing resources. This includes the use of messengers. Instead of an aggregator, where you can choose real tickets to a Christmas tree, the user can be offered a fake site, where you can pay for the tree, but you will not be able to get to it," the expert added.
Messengers play on the feeling of trust among users, because messages come from supposedly familiar people or verified sources, she explained.
The expert noted that during the New Year holidays it is necessary to carefully check the sources of mailings. It is worth checking the correctness of the domain where the purchase is planned. As a rule, phishing sites or applications will differ from the real ones in one or two characters.
In addition, it is important not to follow links received from unknown senders, pay no attention to huge discounts that are no longer available in any store, always check the address of the store in the address bar, follow official sources - for example, airline websites, if it concerns buying tickets.
Olga Svistunova, Senior Content Analyst at Kaspersky Lab , recommends that users set up two-factor authentication for additional account protection, use the security solution on all their devices and do not enter sensitive data on suspicious resources.
