Eavesdrop on the message: scammers began to imitate their exposure
Fraudsters have complicated the standard scheme of deceiving Russians and introduced a new stage there. At first, they call on behalf of couriers, imitating inexperienced scammers. And then, pretending that they forgot to turn off the microphone, they discuss the "divorce plan." After that, they contact the victim on behalf of Roskomnadzor and already sound convincing, and then they lure out the real code to log in to the online bank. The Association for the Development of Literacy told Izvestia about the new scheme, and its appearance was confirmed by banks. Due to the lengthened chain, people lose their vigilance and may eventually lose money in their account. How not to become a victim of such a "multi—step" and why it is dangerous to play the crooks themselves - in the material of Izvestia.
How and why do scammers pose as amateurs
The new sophisticated deception scheme works in three stages. At the first of them, a call is received on a person's phone or messenger, allegedly from a courier, the Association for the Development of Literacy (ARFG) told Izvestia. The potential victim is informed that a certain package has been delivered and in order to receive it, you need to name an SMS code that comes to the phone from an unknown number in parallel with the call.
— Then the fake courier asks to wait on the line and allegedly accidentally forgets to turn off the microphone so that the person can continue to hear him. At this stage, on the other end of the line, they are emotionally discussing with their "accomplices" that they urgently need to hack into a person's account on Public Services. The prank lover waits for the development of events, feeling completely safe, because he knows about the deception," the ARFG continued.
However, a minute later, the conversation is interrupted by the voice of the answering machine, which informs that the conversation was interrupted by Roskomnadzor, and offers to call back to the official number of the department. The man puts down the phone.
— And two or three minutes later, they allegedly call him back from the RCN with the message: "Roskomnadzor noticed a suspicious call to your number," naming the time and duration of the call. At the same time, during this conversation, an SMS message arrives from the bank with an online banking login code, which the "RCN operator" is trying to find out. These are also scammers, but the fake employee of the department already sounds more convincing," the association explained.
As a result, if a person has already lost their vigilance, they can tell the scammers the SMS code, and they will gain access to the account. Further, he risks losing funds, and loans can also be taken out on him. Izvestia sent a request to Roskomnadzor about whether the service is aware of this scheme.
Her appearance was confirmed to Izvestia by Dom.RF Bank. They warned that you need to be prepared for a triple call.
"We have come across double and triple—call schemes, for example, under the guise of bank employees, law enforcement agencies and the Central Bank," Dmitry Nikishov, Vice president for Information security at the bank, commented on the scam.
Multi-stage hybrid schemes, which combine several well-known scenarios, are constantly being improved, Sberbank and VTB also drew attention.
How can interaction with scammers turn out?
Any interaction with scammers gives them information to adjust the schemes and methods of influencing those they will call in the future, the ARFG warned.
— There are no people who are absolutely invulnerable to social engineering, and if you talk to scammers, it's only a matter of time before you become their victim. Therefore, the only correct response to such a call is to hang up the phone as soon as it became clear that an attacker was calling you, the association recommends.
Schemes designed for those who like to talk to scammers are designed to lull the vigilance of arrogant people who are confident in their safety, because they have seen through the intruders, said Irina Maslova, Deputy General Director of the ARFG. If we talk to criminals, we can disclose information that they will later use to create a cover story and approach in order to gain their trust.
Getting a potential victim emotional and worried is a key goal of scammers, said Denis Kalemberg, CEO of SafeTech Group. At the same time, the longer the scheme, the more likely it is that a person will lose their vigilance and eventually reveal the data needed by intruders.
— In multi-pass schemes, as a rule, there is a one-time code, often fake. People are used to it being able to access accounts and accounts, and the thought of a "hack" sets off a panic. All this is done for the sake of the second stage, when a "savior" comes to the rescue, who urgently needs to transfer money to protect them from fraudsters," concluded Denis Kalemberg.
How to protect yourself from scammers
The main recommendation is never to tell anyone the SMS code and stay calm, Denis Kalemberg reminded. No need to try to outplay the scammers, just hang up the phone. Downloading unknown applications from unverified sources is also worth giving up.
In order to prevent data leakage, it is important not to disclose personal and financial information to outsiders, no matter under what pretext or in what way (phone call, website, email) they try to find out, the Bank of Russia advised.
— If you have any doubts about the safety of money in your bank account, you must independently call your bank at the number indicated on its official website or on the back of the bank card, — recommends the Central Bank.
Critical thinking and avoiding hasty actions will help avoid becoming a victim of fraud, Dom.RF Bank summed up.
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