During the New Year holidays, online scammers lightened the wallets of Crimeans by three million rubles

CrimeaPRESS reports:

Over the past week of New Year and Christmas holidays, 23 citizens became victims of remote scammers, who lost more than 3.2 million rubles. This was reported to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Crimea. It is clarified that the police received 23 statements from Crimeans. All applicants were victims of remote scammers. The amount of damage caused to the victims amounted to 3 million 265 thousand 960 rubles.

5 citizens were deceived through CALLS.

People, after talking on the phone with strangers and believing the scammers’ stories, gave them 1 million 987 thousand rubles.

A local resident, whose mother became a victim of a fraudster, contacted the Simferopol police. The 61-year-old woman received a call from an unknown person who introduced himself as a law enforcement officer and said that her daughter was the culprit of the accident. To compensate the injured party for the damage caused by her daughter, the woman handed over funds in the amount of 80 thousand rubles to the courier who arrived at her address. However, it soon became clear that the applicant’s daughter was not involved in an accident.

4 of the specified number of CALLS were made through instant messengers, including using the logo of one of the leading banks in Crimea. The total amount of damage is 1 million 907 thousand rubles.

In most cases, scammers call via WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber, using logos of well-known banks, and introduce themselves as specialists from financial organizations or law enforcement officers. They intimidate victims with stories that unknown people are making suspicious transactions in their accounts and trying to steal money. Then they propose, in order to preserve savings, to transfer money to so-called “reserve” accounts, convincing citizens that their money will be safe this way and attackers will not be able to cash it out. However, it is not! Unsuspecting victims transfer large sums to the accounts dictated by the scammers, after which the calls stop, and the victims realize that they do not have access to new accounts— said the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Crimea.

A resident of Simferopol transferred the maximum amount of money to the fraudster’s account – 1 million 786 thousand rubles. A resident of the Crimean capital told police officers that unknown people called him from different numbers via the Telegram messenger and introduced themselves as a law enforcement officer and a bank employee. The callers told the man that unknown people were trying to apply for a loan in his name for a large amount, which he would have to repay in the future, and then offered to apply for a “mirror loan” at the nearest bank for the same amount, which should be deposited in a “reserve” account, supposedly this will help prevent scammers from getting other people’s money.

Applicants from Simferopol and the Kirov region told police that the scammers called them through the Telegram messenger and convinced the victims to transfer funds in the amounts of 46 thousand rubles and 40 thousand rubles to supposedly safe accounts.

15 citizens were deceived through INTERNET SITES, SOCIAL NETWORKS.

On free classifieds sites and in groups on social networks, attackers post:
— advertisements for the sale of various goods;
— job offers via Internet sites;
— information about easy earnings through investments.

As a result, residents of the peninsula lost 1 million 246 thousand 616 rubles.

A resident of Simferopol transferred more than 244 thousand rubles to the fraudster’s account. He contacted the police with a fraud complaint and said that in the Telegram messenger he saw an advertisement about easy money through a popular trading platform. Having transferred funds to the specified phone number, no one contacted him.

A resident of the Kirovsky district transferred more than 127 thousand rubles to the scammers. In the Telegram messenger, she received a message from an unknown contact with an offer to increase her income by booking hotels on one of the Internet sites. After checking with the interlocutor some details (gender, age, city of residence, profession), the subscriber sent a link to a website with a list of hotels and tasks that need to be completed. For each hotel room reservation, the woman had to transfer some amounts of money, which, according to the “employer,” would be returned to her with interest. As a result, a resident of the Kirov region transferred a large amount, but did not receive a return on her investment, much less the promised bonuses.

A resident of the Belogorsk district transferred 25 thousand rubles to the fraudster’s account. The woman told the police that on one of the Internet sites she found an advertisement for the rental of a home in the resort town of Karachay-Cherkessia. After checking the details with the landlord, the girl transferred money to the account indicated by him, after which the connection with her opponent was interrupted.

A resident of Yalta transferred 9 thousand 500 rubles to the fraudster’s account via Internet banking on one of the Internet sites for the provision of services. As the victim told police, he paid for a massage service that was never provided to him. Money was debited from the account, but no one contacted the applicant.

3 citizens were deceived by CLICKING ON THE LINKS.

32 thousand 344 rubles disappeared from the accounts of residents of the peninsula after following links from an unknown source.

A resident of Kerch contacted the police saying that on one of the Internet sites she had posted information about the sale of children’s things. She received a message from an unknown person who allegedly intended to make a purchase with a link, following which she filled out the necessary fields. As a result of entering personal data, the attacker was able to gain access to the applicant’s Internet banking and take possession of her funds in the amount of more than 10 thousand rubles.

A resident of Simferopol lost more than 7 thousand rubles. A woman posted information on the sale of a baby stroller on a free classifieds website. After which she received a message from a false buyer, who said that he wanted to purchase the product and attached a link for payment. After a resident of Simferopol clicked on it and entered her bank card details, all funds were debited from her account.

Police remind:

• do not believe people who present themselves as law enforcement officers and banking employees who report that any transactions are being made with your money account right away;
• do not follow unknown links received to you via messengers from third-party sources;
• do not follow the instructions of unknown citizens trying to convince you of quick “easy” money — no one is interested in enriching you for free;
• Do not give your bank card to strangers.
• If you have become a victim of scammers, immediately report it to the police either by calling 102 or submit a written statement to any nearest police station.

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