The Tinkoff Ecosystem Security Center has identified a new fraudulent scenario when buying used cars using the Tinkoff Protection platform.
Attackers create groups on social networks, Telegram channels, pages on advertising sites or individual sites that allegedly specialize in the selection, purchase and clearance of cars.
Customers transfer a deposit for the delivery of a car, after which the scammers do not contact and the customer is blocked. The Tinkoff Protection platform has identified over 400 such channels where scammers find victims. The number is constantly changing, new groups are created, old ones are deleted and sites are blocked.
In July-August 2022, such attacks increased by 4-5 times compared to the beginning of the year, and the growth continues, and the average attack bill is 300 thousand rubles.
Tinkoff Zashchita started checking high-risk transactions against a hundred different factors, such as transferring large amounts to new details. At the same time, when the operation is blocked and the security service contacts the customer, he is convinced that he is really buying a car and asks for a transaction.
The number of potential victims of scammers is not yet very large, but given the growing popularity of the scenario and the size of the average scam check, possible losses can reach millions of rubles.
The bank monitors the atypical payment behavior of our customers, but cannot prevent fraud when, even after a call from security personnel, customers demand the blocking of the transaction and insist on a wire transfer. To buy a used car from abroad, you should use only trusted specialists and channels with a large audience and a good reputation. And also to insist on the implementation of documents indicating the passport data of these specialists, for example, a contract for the provision of services, experts warn.
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