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- On a personal note: a scheme of deception with powers of attorney is gaining momentum in Russia
On a personal note: a scheme of deception with powers of attorney is gaining momentum in Russia
The wave of fraud with forged powers of attorney was reported to Izvestia by the Federal Notary Chamber. Fraudsters, posing as notaries and law enforcement officers, inform victims that a general or other power of attorney has been issued on their behalf, and warn that its holders now have the right to sell the principal's property. To be convincing, the attackers suggest that the victim check the power of attorney number through the official registry — and it turns out that documents with such data are actually listed there. The finale of the scheme turns out to be standard: scammers offer frightened people to hide money in a supposedly secure account. How to avoid such deception is described in the Izvestia article.
How the new scheme works
Recently, there have been more frequent appeals from Russians who become victims of fraudsters with fake powers of attorney, while the attackers began to use the details of real—life documents for their schemes. The Federal Notary Chamber (FNP) told Izvestia about this.
"Fraudsters play a game in several moves," they explained. "First, they fraudulently gain access to citizens' accounts on Public Services and upload fake powers of attorney to their personal accounts, including those allegedly issued by notaries. Then they call the person or make him contact the fake person himself."
Criminals present themselves as employees of the Central Bank, Rosfinmonitoring, law enforcement or other agencies. "Well-wishers" tell a person that he has become a target of scammers who have issued a power of attorney on his behalf.
"To be convincing, the scammers suggest checking the document using a special notary service," the FNP added. "There's a trick to this place. The criminals began to use the details of real powers of attorney in their forgeries so that these fakes could make their way on the FNP service page as valid documents."
One of the victims told Izvestia that her scammers were scaring her with a fake power of attorney, in which it was written that the woman was transferring the right to sell her apartment.
— After they called me and intimidated me, the first thing they offered to do was check it through the public registry. And such a document really exists there," she shared. — As it turned out later, they took the power of attorney number of the girl who wrote it out to her husband so that he could open a deposit.
However, during verification, the service does not display the text of the document and the names of the principal. As a result, the woman managed to realize at the last stage that she was being deceived and stopped communicating with the scammers.
How Russians are bred
Another scheme, which was fixed in the FNP, works like this: a person can receive a message in a messenger with a warning about the issuance of a power of attorney on his behalf and a link to this document. By clicking on the link, the victim sees a scan of the power of attorney with his full name and other details.
"A power of attorney may relate to the disposal of real estate or other valuable property, which naturally makes a person nervous,— the FNP noted. — After a while, the scammers contact the victim again and offer to solve the problem by transferring funds to a "secure" account or promptly selling the apartment, which allegedly concerns a power of attorney that suddenly appeared. Having succumbed to such horror stories, a person can easily be left without money or real estate."
Another victim told Izvestia that "employees" of the Federal Notary Chamber called him and informed him that a strange power of attorney had appeared in his personal account at Gosuslugi.
"I went into my personal account, and she was really there," he said. — It turned out to be valid when checked. They immediately took me into circulation and urged me to urgently transfer all the money to "safe" accounts." I decided to transfer only part of my savings, so I lost a little. I went straight to the police.
As noted in the FNP, scammers take advantage of a person's confusion and say that with this power of attorney, scammers can sell his apartment, transfer money from a bank account or commit any compromising actions. For example, to sponsor the Armed Forces of Ukraine or individuals listed as extremists.
The scheme combines elements of social engineering, psychological pressure and the use of modern technologies, which makes it particularly dangerous, said Vladimir Kuznetsov, Vice President of the Association of Lawyers for Registration, Liquidation, Bankruptcy and Judicial Representation.
"The danger of this scheme lies in its plausibility," he noted. — Using the details of real powers of attorney creates the victim's illusion of legitimacy and makes her doubt her own safety. Psychological pressure, threats of selling property, or accusations of complicity with criminals permanently deprive a person of the ability to think critically.
How fraudsters get documents
The fraudsters' real power of attorney data comes from various sources, said Ekaterina Alexandrovich, a lawyer and human rights activist. These can be leaks and hacks of databases of notaries, banks and realtors.
"Data is also obtained through unscrupulous insider employees, copies of documents enter the processing chain and become available, some information is bought on the black market, some is collected from open sources and combined by fraudsters," she said.
According to Vladimir Kuznetsov, fraudsters also create fake websites that mimic the official portals of Public Services, banks or notary chambers. Users, trying to verify any information, enter their own data, which falls into the hands of scammers.
"We cannot exclude the possibility that fraudsters, using social engineering methods, extort information from employees of various organizations who have access to databases with powers of attorney," the lawyer believes. — This scheme is a variation of a broader class of scams based on social engineering and the use of forged or stolen documents.
There is another scheme using fake powers of attorney.
— Here, fraudsters do not just use banking details, but produce a completely forged document with which they try to perform legally significant actions on behalf of the victim, — said Vladimir Kuznetsov.
How to keep calm
Such a scheme is based on the strongest emotional manipulation, fear of loss and panic, and therefore acts even on quite rational people, said neuropsychologist Maria Todorova. According to her, when a person is told that a power of attorney has already been issued on his behalf, the basic instinct of protection is triggered.
— In order not to get caught in such a situation, it is important to take a break, — the expert advised. — Any urgency is a danger signal. If someone scares you and offers a solution at the same time, it's almost always manipulation. You need to literally physically put down your phone, take a deep breath, leave the room, or call a loved one. This simple action helps to switch the brain from panic mode to reasoning mode.
Another way to maintain control is to prepare "anchors of peace" for yourself in advance. For example, a list of loved ones who can be called in an emergency, and the numbers of official services.
"When anxiety reaches its peak, a person is unable to think logically, but if they have a clear algorithm of actions at hand, it reduces suggestibility," she added.
The FNP recalled that forgery of a notarized power of attorney, even if it uses the details of a valid document, is easily opened. And such a document has no legal force.
"It is important to remember that a notarized power of attorney, whether paper or digital, can only be issued by contacting a notary in person. It is impossible to do this remotely — through Gosuslugi, a personal account on the portal of the Federal Notary Chamber or any other online service, in principle," they said.
Before certifying the power of attorney, the notary confirms the identity of the person, checks whether he understands what he is doing, and explains what the consequences of such a document may be. In addition to the notary's signature and seal, the principal also signs the power of attorney.
In addition, such a document can be checked not only using the details in the power of attorney verification service, but also in other ways — for example, if we are talking about a paper power of attorney or its scan, it is also checked using the QR code placed on it. If it doesn't exist, it's a fake.
A notary can make a digital power of attorney instead of a paper one, the notary chamber added. In this case, the QR code will not be placed on it, but the file will be certified with a notary's enhanced qualified electronic signature.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
