Attackers post illegal advertisements on behalf of Russian companies and extort money from them to stop the distribution of banners. This comes from a new report of the RTM Group, a company specializing in information security, a copy of which is in the hands of socialbites.ca.
From September 1, 2023, fines in the amount of 100 to 500 thousand rubles began to be imposed in Russia. For violating the requirements of the law regarding the labeling of advertisements on the Internet. The law requires companies to obtain special identifiers for promotional advertisements from so-called advertising data operators appointed by Roskomnadzor. Companies should also report to themselves on the effectiveness of ads: reach, budgets and more.
According to RTM Group, since the beginning of the month, scammers have been actively placing advertisements on the network on behalf of various companies without the necessary labeling. The attackers do this using accounts on social networks and instant messengers registered to virtual mobile numbers and “gray” SIM cards. In the first days of September, experts recorded hundreds of such cases.
“To remove such posts and avoid fines, scammers extort from legal entities from 100 to 150 thousand rubles. RTM Group believes that due to the technical characteristics of the Internet, it is difficult to quickly track who actually posted the ad post.
RTM Group experts recommend that those who are exposed to this type of blackmail do not panic and do not get caught up in the tricks of scammers. The company’s experts claim that each situation is individually controlled by the regulatory agency, and possible violators will not be punished in this way without evidence. Otherwise, you will have to go to court and appeal the actions of the organizer.
“If you are getting threats from scammers, you should try to deal with such “advertising” advertisements yourself. For example, if false advertising is posted on social networks, contact the site administration with a request to block the advertising posting. If the ad is published on other web resources, contact Roskomnadzor with a request to block the resource for fraudulent activities,” explained RTM Group.
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