91 million rubles!!! This is how much Crimeans gave to scammers in one week

Schemes used by cyber fraudsters over the past week:

• fake calls/messenger calls: criminals pose as telecom operators, employees of banks, military registration and enlistment offices, law enforcement agencies, or even relatives of the victim, trying to find out personal information or force them to transfer money;

• fake online stores: clone sites of famous brands are created, where buyers pay for goods, but never receive them;

• luring money through social networks: attackers create fake accounts of familiar users, asking for help in the form of money transfers;
• investment in company shares: scammers offer potential investors to invest money in shares of some promising company, claiming that the value of the shares will soon increase sharply. Typically, such investments promise high returns with minimal risks;

• installing third-party applications and following links.

Via CALLS

In Yalta, a 76-year-old woman became a victim of fraud, having trusted attackers twice. According to the victim, in mid-February she received a call from an unknown caller who introduced himself as an employee of the pension fund. Some time later, a second call followed, allegedly from a law enforcement representative. Both “interlocutors” convinced the pensioner of the need to “declaration of income.” The woman was told that in order to complete the procedure, she needed to transfer her personal savings to a courier who arrived at her home. As a result of the first episode, she transmitted 15 million rubles. A week later, the scheme repeated: the pensioner again believed the scammers and handed over another 26 million rubles.

A pensioner from the city of Simferopol was also deceived twice. He lost more than 4 million rubles. An 87-year-old local resident became a victim of scammers who presented themselves as bank employees. The attackers called the pensioner and convinced him of the need to transfer funds to a “bank employee.” The scammers claimed that this was supposedly necessary for the subsequent “declaration” of funds and to avoid a search by the tax service. In February of this year, an elderly man gave 2 million rubles to an unknown woman who arrived at his house. A month later, in March, he again believed in cybercriminals and transferred more than 2 million 280 thousand rubles. During the operational search activities, police officers identified the identity of one of the attackers, and all persons involved in the crime are being identified.

Through INTERNET SITES, SOCIAL NETWORKS and MESSENGERS

In the Krasnogvardeisky district, a 22-year-old local resident became a victim of criminals. According to the victim, he posted information about the sale of sports equipment on a free classifieds website. Products on display included a machine, board, barbell and weight plates. Soon an unknown person contacted him via messenger, introducing himself as a potential buyer. Under the pretext of purchasing sporting goods, the attacker sent a link, following which the applicant entered his bank card details. As a result of deception, the victim lost about 50 thousand rubles.

In Yevpatoria, a 30-year-old local resident became a victim of scammers while trying to purchase a rubber boat via the Internet. The man found an advertisement for sale in one of the messenger groups and contacted the seller. During the correspondence, the parties discussed all the details of the transaction and agreed on the cost of the goods. After this, the Evpatorian transferred to the account specified by the seller more than 31 thousand rubles. However, immediately after receiving the money, the seller stopped communicating. The buyer never received the promised boat, leaving him without funds and without goods.

In the Krasnogvardeisky district, a 53-year-old woman lost a large sum of money after believing in the promised winnings in an online game. According to the victim, she participated in the drawing via instant messenger and received a message that she had become the winner of a cash prize. The joy of the unexpected victory quickly grew into the desire to receive the promised winnings. To do this, she was asked to “activate” funds and transfer a certain amount. The woman, hoping for the winnings to arrive on her card soon, transferred the money to the scammers 170 thousand rubles. However, she never saw either her money or the prize itself. Realizing that she had become a victim of deception, the victim contacted the police.

Through INSTALLING THIRD-PARTY APPLICATIONS and FOLLOWING LINKS

In Yalta, a 57-year-old woman became a victim of Internet scammers. On one of the social networks she came across a link advertising a program that alerts about radars on the road. Interested in the offer, a city resident downloaded and installed the application on her mobile phone.

However, instead of the promised functionality, the program turned out to be malicious. After installation, an unknown person made purchases from the woman’s bank account in the online store in the amount of more than 48 thousand rubles.

A 24-year-old resident of the Bakhchisarai district has been contacted by the police. The young man reported that he became a victim of Internet scammers while trying to rent an apartment in Simferopol.

According to the applicant, he found an advertisement for housing for rent on one of the Internet sites. After contacting the prospective landlord, the guy received a payment link in the messenger. To complete the transaction, he was asked to enter his bank card details and an SMS code from the bank. After he filled out all the necessary fields, his account was debited 17 thousand rubles.

How to protect yourself from such threats?

To avoid such troubles, it is important to follow a few simple rules:

1. Never share your personal information with strangers, especially card numbers, verification codes and passwords.

2. Check the reliability of online resources before making online purchases.

3. Be careful with suspicious emails and messages containing links or downloads.

4. Don’t believe in “safe accounts” and “declaration of funds” — THIS IS A SCAM!

5. Do not panic — real law enforcement officers and government agencies do not require the transfer and transfer of funds.

If you have become a victim of scammers, immediately report it to the police using the single number 102 or submit a written statement to any nearest police station.

source: press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Crimea