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Mobile phones have become an integral part of everyone's life: email, bank accounts and other confidential data are linked to them, making them one of the main targets of attackers. Knowing only a phone number, scammers often manage to force the victim to infect their device themselves or transfer confidential information into the wrong hands.
Photo: Igor Nikitin, Kommersant / buy photo
Photo: Igor Nikitin, Kommersant / buy photo
Some types of deception are not easy to recognize, so you need to be on the lookout for new schemes. This is much more effective than restoring already stolen accounts.
In June 2021, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs listed six main types of telephone scams. The most popular scheme is a “fake” message about a relative who is in trouble.
Relative in trouble
The attacker may introduce himself to the potential victim as an acquaintance, friend, or simply a random witness. After reporting that one of the interlocutor’s relatives was involved in an accident or committed this or that offense, the criminal hands over the phone, supposedly to a law enforcement representative, who confirms the incident. After pressure and intimidation, the imaginary representative of the authorities offers to resolve the issue for a certain amount of money, which can reach either 1 thousand rubles or $30 thousand. In this case, the money will need to be transferred to a third party or brought to a special place.
Place an order
We choose the most expensive product, but in moderation. I chose a chic set of knives worth 10,000 rubles (by the way, at Fix Price around the corner, exactly the same set of knives costs 99 rubles). I confirmed the order and everything is fine.
Next comes the most interesting part. Fraudsters usually send the parcel very quickly. Whether there is something in it or not is not important. Most often, they buy a similar product at the nearest Fix-Price store and send it instead of what was ordered. Or they can simply stuff garbage into the parcel. That's not the point. The fraudster, in the hope of getting his benefit, wastes his time and money, because the product not only needs to be purchased, it also needs to be sent. They ship very quickly, literally within a day.
Winning the lottery
Fraudsters can also call numbers from their collected database, posing as radio station presenters, and report winning a prize. Criminals often pose as representatives of a mobile operator. They say into the phone that they have held a lottery among listeners of the radio station or among users of one or another mobile operator, and they call to congratulate you on your win.
Then the winner is asked to call back on one or another number, he is congratulated again, and all the details are explained. To receive a prize, the winner must first pay a deposit of a certain amount, which, according to the criminals, will be returned on the day the prizes are awarded. However, after the money is transferred, the scammer disappears.
"Representative of the Pension Fund"
“You are entitled to a social subsidy/compensation or a trip to a sanatorium,” scammers usually start their conversation with in this scenario. They can then ask for a card number to transfer the payment, send a link to a form to fill out, or to pay a small fee. At this moment you need to end the conversation. There are a large number of combinations, but the essence is the same: convince of the possibility of receiving a payment, and then take possession of the data. In some cases, victims themselves transfer funds to the attackers: to pay for tickets, registration costs, etc.
“Such schemes adapt very quickly to circumstances; scammers constantly monitor the news agenda,” notes Veniamin Kaganov. “And if today the news talks about social payments or compensation, then tomorrow scammers can refer to these types of support. We saw a big surge in such calls during the pandemic when the government introduced new support measures.”
Andrey Romanov, executive director of the credit bank, talks about another similar scheme. The attackers called older people, allegedly from an insurance company, and offered to return a large sum that had accumulated in their insurance account due to a rare visit to the clinic. The “saved” money can be returned only after paying the “tax,” the scammers convinced. Of course, they disappeared from communication after the victim paid the “tax.”
How to avoid being scammed on the phone
To avoid becoming a victim of scammers, you should not accept calls from unfamiliar and hidden numbers. You can install an application on your phone that searches for the owner of the number on the Internet.
If you do receive a call that looks like a scam, you can stall for time and make the attacker nervous - say that you are looking for a card and hang on the phone for ten to fifteen minutes. Or end the conversation with the phrase “yes, I was the one who withdrew the money, everything is fine!” If the criminal realizes that the victim suspects something, he will simply stop talking and continue calling others.
If you receive a message or call about an incident with a relative, acquaintance or friend in trouble, you should try to contact him through instant messengers or call him. If a person does not respond to messages and calls, then you need to check how long ago he was on social networks, and also contact the people who communicate with him most often or who may be nearby.
If you suspect that someone on the phone is imitating the voice of a friend or relative, you need to ask the interlocutor leading questions, the answer to which only the person whose identity is being questioned knows. If it is reported that a relative has been taken to a hospital or police station, then you need to check with those who are in touch which department the victim is in.
You can recognize the scammers' phone number by the fact that it is too suspicious and is not included in the phone contacts. After congratulating you on winning the lottery or winning a prize, you need to contact the company on behalf of which they were represented after a call: they will tell you whether any promotion was carried out on behalf of the company or not.
If the fraud was carried out using an SMS to a phone or a call, then it is possible to “punch” the phone in a search engine. Often, previous victims of scammers write reviews of the numbers they suffered as a result of contact. You can check your phone for fraud as soon as you have free access to the Internet. You should never provide your card number, CVV code, or SMS codes over the phone. If you forgot your card in a public place, block it.
Do not provide your real phone number or pay with your main card on little-known sites. Don't panic if they write to you about blocking your account. Call the bank using the number on the website or on the card.
Tip three. From the police
The main department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the Perm Territory, in response to a request from a Properm.ru journalist, reported that since the beginning of 2021, 1,227 frauds and 720 thefts using information and telecommunication technologies have been registered in the Perm Territory. Both thefts and fraud can be committed using telephony and the Internet, the police noted.
As the police note, replacing an incoming call identifier (number) became possible with the growing popularity and availability of IP telephony. There are more than 300 telecom operators in the country. “Not all of them do business honestly. And cellular operators that relay a voice packet with a spoofed caller ID neglect technical regulations and do not check the authenticity of the traffic,” explained the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the region.
Since the beginning of the year, several scams have been registered in which attackers used the subscriber numbers of law enforcement agencies, including the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Perm Territory.
The Kama region police are warning about the increasing incidence of telephone fraud associated with the illegal use of spoofed subscriber numbers. Numbers used in criminal schemes can be assigned to various banks and law enforcement agencies.
The Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs advises: not to carry out any financial transactions based on instructions received by phone. Stop talking. And go personally to the bank or the police. You can call back by calling 02 (102 from a mobile phone).
What to do if you find yourself a victim of telephone fraud
If, nevertheless, the data or money ends up in the hands of fraudsters, it is necessary to contact law enforcement agencies and file a statement with the police department or prosecutor's office. It must be drawn up by the victim or his legal representative (in this case, you will have to submit a document that will contain all the information about when and under what circumstances, as well as on what basis the authority to submit the application was delegated). Such a statement must indicate when the crime was committed, who exactly committed it and under what circumstances.
Along with the application, you must provide evidence, as well as identify all witnesses. To do this, you should not initially delete messages and contacts of scammers. In addition, if the applicant is sure that he is not the only victim from the actions of specific attackers, it is also necessary to indicate who else may suffer (or indicate that the circle of victims may be wide or completely unlimited).
Law enforcement officials who received the application must conduct an investigation within ten days and make a decision to initiate a criminal case. If a case has been initiated, the person who committed the fraud has been identified, all investigative actions have been carried out, the materials are submitted to the court, where the applicant must confirm all the information contained in the application in order to defend his position.
You can directly go to court with a statement of claim to hold you accountable for fraud only if other law enforcement agencies refused to accept the application for consideration or to initiate a criminal case without finding corpus delicti in the application.
Telephone scam is considered a crime and falls under Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud). For a citizen who single-handedly commits telephone fraud, articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provide for punishment by a fine, correctional labor, or, depending on the scale of the crime committed and the damage caused, an actual prison term of up to two years. For a group of fraudsters, the amount of fines and sentences are, accordingly, significantly higher.
"Free Helper"
The scammer introduces himself as an employee of a financial or human rights organization and offers to check the credit history and create a credit rating. The “consultation” is free, but for a specific service the scammer can ask for a decent amount. You need to remember that you can check your credit history for free twice a year, says Veniamin Kaganov. “The recommendation when you are offered “free” help can be one: take a break, check the information or consult with loved ones,” he says.
If today the news talks about social benefits or compensation, then tomorrow scammers may refer to these types of support. That's what happened this spring
These scammers may tell you that your credit history has deteriorated and offer. “It happens that debts appear in a credit history by mistake, but in this case, making changes is free,” reminds Veniamin Kaganov. “If these are really your debts, then you can improve your story by paying them off.”
Unfinished crime
If the subscriber ignores the attacker’s demands, telephone fraud is considered unfinished and is classified as preparation for a crime. In such cases, liability is provided only for preparation for grave and especially grave crimes (Article 30 of the Criminal Code). Their qualifying features:
- the amount extorted exceeds 250,000 rubles;
- the subject of the crime is a residential premises;
- the attackers acted as part of an organized group;
- preparation was carried out using official position.
The punishment for preparation cannot exceed half the maximum term (fine) provided for the completed crime. You can find out more about attempted fraud in this article https://lexconsult.online/7115-pokushenie-na-moshennichestvo-stati-uk-rf-stadii-mery-nakazaniya
Administrative punishment
Fraud is qualified under Art. 7.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses on “Petty theft”, if:
- There are no aggravating circumstances.
- The assigned amount does not exceed 2500 rubles.
Art. 7.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses contains two paragraphs.
Clause 1 If the stolen amount does not exceed 1000 rubles, the punishment will be:
- a fine in the amount of 1000 to 5000 rubles;
- arrest, the maximum period of which is 15 days;
- compulsory labor for no more than 50 hours.
Clause 2 If the amount of appropriated funds is more than 1000 rubles, but does not exceed 2500 rubles, the following is assigned:
- a fine in the amount of 3,000 to 12,500 rubles;
- imprisonment for a period of 10 to 15 days;
- compulsory work for up to 120 hours.
How to avoid falling for the tricks of telephone scammers - see the video below:
Call or message to paid numbers
The method of telephone deception, when the victim of a scam tries to call a paid phone number, is rightfully considered the oldest and most proven scheme. The simplest one is that a person receives a call from an unfamiliar number, but the call ends abruptly or is dropped after dialing. When trying to call back, the subscriber either receives long beeps in response, or “communicates” with the answering machine turned on. In both cases, the call is paid, and money from the account of the curious mobile phone owner is transferred to the account of the scammer.
Fraud by telephone numbers, for which you have to pay for calls or messages, is used very often and in a variety of variations. For example, unscrupulous people send SMS with a “lucrative” offer to send a message in order to receive a small amount “as a gift” into their account. Most often, those who respond to this are not only not replenished, but the SMS sent costs several times more than the amount of the offered “gift”.
The content of SMS with requests to call a specified number can be very different: a plea to help a sick child, an offer to get acquainted, to change the mobile phone tariff to a more favorable one, greetings and congratulations from supposedly familiar people, etc... Sometimes scammers turn to passers-by on the street with a request to borrow a cell phone telephone to "call". After one or several calls, a responsive mobile phone owner discovers that the balance is significantly less.
Problems with a bank card (account)
The most primitive telephone scams involving bank cards or accounts are designed to exploit a person’s fear of losing their savings and begin in much the same way: an SMS from the “bank” is sent to the phone, or scammers call, introducing themselves as its employees. The information can be the most unpleasant, for example, that a bank card is blocked or there is a loan debt. In the best case, to clarify the situation, the owner of the phone is asked to call the “bank” operator. Those who call back after this end up on a paid number and lose a large amount from their mobile phone account.
Much worse consequences occur if, at the request of the “bank,” the phone owner tells the scammers the card number and its PIN code, the password for the “Personal Account” of the bank’s Internet version, personal data and other information that should be kept secret. In such a situation, money from the bank account of the defrauded subscriber actually disappears without a trace.
How the “bank security service” squeezes out apartments: mechanism
I couldn’t find this news on the official website of Sberbank: why upset customers? However, the problem was reported by the RBC agency, whose correspondent worked on the AntiFraud Russia forum. The event took place on December 2-3 in Moscow, and the topic was touched upon by V. Kontorovich, managing director of Sberbank PJSC, and S. Veligodsky, head of one of the bank’s departments.
It was the latter who was quoted by RBC: “there is an influence on the citizen in such a way that he, along with loans, also mortgages and sells real estate.”
It is possible to imagine this, although it is hard to believe. I think that there is no question of direct sale of real estate: this transaction requires several days, and during this time the deception will be revealed. But it is easy to assume that the loan is issued virtually, secured by real estate. Such a transaction takes much less time.
