Ahead of the New Year, financial fraudsters in Russia are using four main schemes to deceive Russians using phishing resources; Their purpose is to steal bank customers’ card data and then write off money from them. Aleksey Potekhin, cybersecurity expert at the Central Federal District of the Bank of Russia, told socialbites.ca.
The first plan concerns the subject of travel; Scammers create websites to buy plane and train tickets, book hotels, tours and excursions.
“Offers to book hotels for the New Year and holidays on the Internet at a significant discount are a reason for caution. It is better to search for accommodation and tickets on the official website or application of the hotel, airline and Russian Railways, as well as on the sites and applications of well-known, reliable aggregators. Take your time and do not pay attention to the text “there are currently 10 people viewing this option”. The payment form must redirect to the payment system portal (a new pop-up will appear) and support a secure protocol. Potekhin stated that there should be MIR Accept, Verified by Visa, MasterCard SecureCode in the corner.
The second scheme uses the theme of entertainment – fake sources “sell” “Nutcracker” tickets, Christmas trees and ice shows. According to Potekhin, scammers often offer two or three times the price for tickets.
The third scheme is related to the theme of holiday gifts – perfumes and cosmetics, alcohol, gift sets. Advertisements for their sales often appear on social networks on New Year’s Eve. According to Potekhin, many of the people who receive such orders are conscientious, but there are also fraudsters. These are difficult to control, so it is better to buy gifts from people with whom the person or his friends have shopped before.
The fourth scheme uses the discount theme. Black Friday in Russia continues throughout December.
“The number of fraudulent sites increases significantly during the New Year period. On these sites, everything can be very similar to the resources of real retailers – high-quality photos, similar prices and website design, order form. You should be wary of links received via email or instant messengers, especially if the sender is unknown. It is best to enter the address of a store or marketplace yourself in the address bar of your browser, or save the addresses of your favorite and trusted sources in bookmarks and use them,” Potekhin said.
He added that using sellers’ official mobile apps is a very safe option.
Previously cyber expert Egorov guess Growth of financial fraud in Russia in 2024.