No need to change: how scammers speculate on the topic of pawnshops
Fraudsters can use pawnshop themes to deceive Russians, experts said. Attackers take advantage of the fact that clients of such financial institutions often do not go there from a good life, seek to get fast money and are in a state of anxiety, which makes them easy targets for deception. For more information about how scammers speculate on the topic of pawnshops, how dangerous such tricks are and how to protect yourself from them, read the Izvestia article.
What attracts scammers about pawnshops?
The topic of pawnshops is interesting to intruders, because money, stress and high speed of decision-making converge in it, says Sergey Belov, head of the banking system security research department at Positive Technologies, in an interview with Izvestia. People don't come to organizations out of a good life: they need fast money, they already have anxiety, and sometimes they feel that there are few options where to get funds. For intruders, this is almost an ideal environment.
— The second reason is that the pawnshop allows you to quickly convert valuables into cash or transfer, — says the specialist. — Jewelry, appliances, watches, gold — all this is easily monetized. Therefore, it is convenient for a fraudster to integrate a pawnshop into his scheme as an intermediary point.
At first, according to Sergey Belov, the potential victim is scared, then pushed to take urgent action, and then she herself carries assets to where they can be converted into money. It is this combination of panic and speed that makes pawnshops especially convenient for fraud.
In turn, Sergey Polunin, head of the Gazinformservice IT infrastructure Solutions protection group, draws attention to the fact that there will be much fewer checks in a regular pawnshop than in an average bank. In addition, the assets involved in the transactions — gold, machinery, and valuables — are extremely difficult to track down in the future, which also plays into the hands of intruders.
What pawnshop-related schemes should we expect in 2026
Pawnshops, as a rule, are one of the elements in the framework of fraudulent schemes, experts of the MTS Defender service say. For example, hackers can hack into Russians' personal accounts on marketplaces in order to buy expensive goods and resell them in a pawnshop. In addition, to repay the debt, fraudsters can convince the victim to sell items at the "most profitable" pawnshop, which in reality turns out to be non-existent. In this case, scammers receive both money and expensive goods.
"In 2026, we expect an increase in complex schemes with two or more calls using the pawnshop theme," experts say. — The main reason is the monetary benefit and a higher probability of maintaining anonymity, since the activities of pawnshops are more difficult for law enforcement agencies to track and control.
In turn, Alexandra Shmigirilova, GR director of the Security Code information security company, predicts an increase in combined schemes using social engineering this year, when the victim is forced to pawn jewelry and transfer cash to a courier. It also allows the spread of phishing through QR codes when selling expensive items online. In this scheme, fraudsters disguise themselves as buyers and send fake codes to steal card data. Schemes involving the internal collusion of pawnshop employees to substitute collateral or fictitious valuation of jewelry will continue to develop.
At the same time, according to Sergey Polunin, the so-called virtual pawnshops may turn out to be a separate fraudulent format. The typical scheme in this case begins with the fact that a person is asked for a photo of his belongings and offered to evaluate or require an advance payment for the expert's departure. Next, the potential victim may be asked for a passport scan in order to allegedly prepare the necessary documents and a contract.
"Naturally, the assessment will be carried out in favor of a person in need of funds, and he will quickly share all the necessary data, and the transaction itself will obviously never take place," the Izvestia interlocutor notes. — A more complicated option is also possible, when the victim is bred for transfer, and the money goes to the drop, which, in turn, already buys gold, pawns it and withdraws cash.
What schemes on the topic of pawnshops have you seen before
Meanwhile, fraudsters have tried to use various pawnshop schemes in previous years. According to Sergey Belov, two scenarios were most often encountered: the first was fake pawnshops or commission shops that masqueraded as a legitimate business, but in fact operated outside regulation. A person was promised a loan secured by a security deposit, and at the exit he received a dubious contract, poor conditions and almost zero protection of his interests.
— The second story: the victim was led according to the classical scheme of social engineering and brought to the pawnshop as to the last point of the route, — says the interlocutor of Izvestia. — She was told that her money needed to be "saved", urgently pawn jewelry, buy gold, and so on. This is a typical controlled behavior when a person is under pressure to participate in his own robbery.
The main target audience of such schemes is people who do not have a stable income or are in a difficult financial situation, adds Nikolai Dolgov, an expert on cybersecurity at Angara Security. Such people need a quick loan or its urgent prolongation, or they are under stress under the influence of third parties and follow other people's instructions.
It is in this state that the victim's ability to verify sources decreases and the likelihood of "following the instructions" of an attacker increases, the specialist emphasizes. This behavioral mechanism underlies social engineering, which is enhanced by AI tools (personalization, plausible communication style, voice fakes).
"Attackers can aim at both directly receiving money and compromising personal data that is used for subsequent credit fraud and social engineering," warns Konstantin Larin, head of the cyber intelligence department at Bastion.
How to protect yourself from pawnshop-related fraud schemes
In order to protect themselves from such fraudulent schemes, experts interviewed by Izvestia advise following a number of specific security measures. In particular, the experts of the BBR Bank recommend that, if a decision is made to go to a pawnshop, first of all, be sure to check it in the registry on the Bank of Russia website. It is important never to follow the instructions on collateral given by strangers, and to use only official company contacts.
— In order not to become victims of intruders, citizens need to adhere to the "callback" principle, — recommends the deputy director of the analytical center of the Ural Center for Security Systems Diana Zhukova. — If you receive an offer from a pawnshop (especially in a messenger), you must end the conversation and dial the number indicated on its official website yourself.
You can download pawnshop applications exclusively from official stores (AppStore, RuStore, Google Play), since installing via a link from SMS or a number of messengers almost always leads to data theft, warns the Izvestia interlocutor. It is also important to explain these risks to loved ones so that they do not get into an unpleasant situation, the experts of the BBR Bank add. And if you still have any doubts or suspicions when contacting such an organization, it is better to consult a lawyer first.
At the same time, pawnshops themselves must follow the instructions of the Bank of Russia in terms of cybersecurity, says Diana Zhukova. In particular, it is necessary to conduct periodic vulnerability analysis, implement antivirus protection tools and install specialized information leak prevention systems to reduce the risk of data compromise.
"To detect cyber incidents in a timely manner and minimize their consequences, it is necessary to use information security monitoring systems or order comprehensive information security support in a professional SOC," the analyst concludes.
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