a girl named Lyudmila
socialbites.ca analyzed sites examining mobile numbers and learned that in mid-June, Russians began to receive large calls with the same content from unknown numbers. Probably a pre-recorded female voice said: “Good afternoon, I’m Lyudmila, very nice, I’ll call you back.” The call was then immediately terminated.
According to data from open sources, calls came from mobile numbers from different regions, including Moscow and the Novosibirsk region. Along with the voice of a woman, the voices of a call center are also heard in the recording.
This is why scammers are looking for potential victims – a person will not wait for a second call and turn himself in, Vladimir Ulyanov, head of the Zecurion analytical center, told socialbites.ca.
“If he calls back, you have to assume that person is naive enough to try to trick him. The conversion of such conversations will be much higher. Plus, it’s more profitable to have a long conversation at the expense of another subscriber.
Kaspersky Who Calls senior analyst Vitaly Vorobyov, in a conversation with socialbites.ca, thought that the attackers were using this scheme to check active numbers.
“Today, many subscribers use spam and phone scam protection solutions or do not answer numbers they do not recognize, so manually calling potential victims without prior screening may not be effective,” the expert added.
One of the subscribers left a review in which he said that he believed Lyudmila and tried to call again. “When I tried to call back, I heard a message that the number was not available,” she explained.
Another subscriber noted that he checked the call from an unknown number on the Viber messenger and found out that he was assigned to Karpova Lyuda. At the same time, she does not specify the position of the woman during the interview and from which organization she is calling.
What is the danger of such calls?
According to Vladimir Ulyanov, it is not dangerous to receive or even answer such calls.
“There are no scenarios threatening the device. You shouldn’t believe stories like “You picked up the phone and everything broke”. There is also no direct threat to the security and money of the subscriber, ”said the expert.
Vitaly Vorobyov is sure that in this case we are talking about automatic search. According to him, the main risk is that the subscriber number is included in the “active” list and then used by spammers or scammers.
“We generally do not recommend engaging with phone scammers or answering a call if the user knows they are being called by intruders.
Due to the excitement and psychological pressure, even those who know what the attackers’ plans look like can fall for their hooks, ”the expert added.
Pavel Korostelev, head of the product promotion department of the security code company, told socialbites.ca that the search on behalf of Lyudmila or other people was made by a bot that the scammers started to check the database.
According to him, if after such a call a familiar person did not write to you and did not laugh at the fact that he skillfully “pampered the subscriber”, then these were uninvited guests. But he confirmed that the search itself posed no danger.
“Such calls do not pose any direct danger to attackers, other than realizing how “alive” the user’s number is. Subscribers are securely protected and do not disclose any of their data until they engage in a dialogue,” added Korostelev.
How not to fall for scammers?
According to Zecurion’s Ulyanov, the best thing to do in such a situation is to pick up the phone and listen to whether there is a voice on the other end.
“Try to figure out if it’s a robot or a human talking. Despite the fact that robots are becoming more and more domestic, most people manage to recognize them. Well, continue to act according to the situation,” he added.
There is no need to avoid incoming calls in any way. But the expert advised that in no case should you call back missed or dropped calls.
“In this case, there is a chance not only to encounter a scammer, but also to receive an expensive call. It is not always possible to understand in advance how much the search will cost, ”said Ulyanov.
Another option for incoming calls is to connect to an auto carrier to receive suspicious calls. Many mobile operators offer similar functionality.
The analyst also noted that telecom operators are often able to connect the call filtering service, which reduces the number of unwanted incoming calls, but the analyst noted.
Another technical way to fix the problem is to install the caller ID on a smartphone. Ulyanov noted that descriptive programs can also err, but it helps to understand the purpose of the search in advance and adjust it accordingly.
Pavel Korostelev from the “Security Code” is sure that if there was only one call from an unknown number, it was probably a bot.
“Receive a second call from unknown numbers. The expert noted that, as a rule, bots do not call back and do not send the number to the list of “lifeless”.
According to the expert, if a bot called, said a certain phrase and disconnected, there is no need to call that number again. He called to block the number from which such a call came, in order to prevent new attempts by scammers.
Kaspersky Lab’s Vitaly Vorobyov recommended answering the call only if the subscriber is expecting a call from a courier or delivery service employee.
However, if there are any doubts about the interlocutor during the phone call, the meeting should be terminated immediately.
The expert reminded the Russians once again that they should not transfer confidential data such as passwords and logins from accounts in services, SMS codes and instant notifications to anyone in order to be protected from intruders.