In a week, remote scammers robbed 67 Crimeans

• an unknown person calls by cell phone or via instant messengers (Whatsapp, Telegram, Viber), introduces himself as an employee of a mobile operator and reports the need to renew the contract for mobile communication services;
• An unknown person calls on a cell phone or through instant messengers (Whatsapp, Telegram, Viber), introduces himself as an employee of a bank or the Internet portal «State Services» and reports that right now third parties are trying to gain access to the account or are taking out a loan in your name and urgently need transfer money to a “safe” or “reserve” account;
• an unknown person calls on a cell phone or writes via instant messengers (Whatsapp, Telegram, Viber), offering quick and profitable earnings by investing in a securities exchange, the exchange of a certain company or bank;
• An unknown person writes via instant messengers (Whatsapp, Telegram, Viber) on behalf of an acquaintance, friend, relative with a request to borrow money.

The Crimean police remind you: all this is a criminal pretext for theft of funds through deception and intimidation. Do not panic, soberly assess the situation and call the relevant institutions for more information. Don’t settle for questionable earnings. Double-check the information carefully.

Via CALLS

It is better to avoid telephone conversations with suspicious people who introduce themselves as employees of the bank or law enforcement agencies; do not be afraid to interrupt the conversation, just hang up.

The police were contacted 44 citizens who have suffered from the actions of telephone scammers.

An unknown person called a resident of Simferopol and offered to make money on the securities exchange. The applicant agreed. Then the attacker suggested that he start investing right now in order to get income faster. To do this, it was necessary to transfer funds (one part for investments, the other for activating a personal account on the exchange). Having followed the instructions from the unknown person, the applicant’s connection with the subscriber was interrupted. The man lost his savings, and access to his personal account on the securities exchange was never activated.

A resident of Alushta filed a statement with the police and reported that the phone received a call from an unknown person who introduced himself as a bank employee. The caller told the woman that third parties were trying to gain access to her account and steal the funds there. Taking advantage of the agitated state of his interlocutor, the attacker dictated the details of a supposedly “safe account” where the money needed to be transferred. The applicant did so, and later realized that she did not have access to the new account.

27 of the specified number of CALLS were made through instant messengers, including using the logo of one of the leading banks in Crimea.

An unknown person called a Kerch resident on WhatsApp messenger and introduced himself as the buyer of an apartment, the sale of which the man had previously published on the free classifieds online service. Having gained the trust of the applicant, the attacker convinced him to provide card details for making an advance payment. Later, the man discovered that funds had been written off to an unknown account.

A resident of Feodosia reported fraud to the police. An unknown person called her via WhatsApp messenger and introduced himself as a specialist from a cellular company. The caller told the woman that she needed to renew her mobile phone service contract. To do this, the applicant transferred funds, and later realized that it was a fraudster.

Did you hear these words on the phone?

• “someone is applying for a loan for you right now”;
• “you need to get ahead of the scammers and hide your funds in a safe account”;
• “an investigator/interrogator/bailiff/FSB operative is calling you”;
• “a criminal case has been opened against you…”;
• “I need to update my personal data…”

Hang up!

Through INTERNET SITES, SOCIAL NETWORKS, MESSENGERS

I fell for the tricks of scammers who use social networks, instant messengers and Internet sites 18 citizens.

A resident of Simferopol received a message in the Viber messenger from supposedly her friend with a request to borrow money. Without hesitation, the woman transferred funds to the specified details, and later found out that her friend’s account had been hacked by unknown persons.

A resident of Dzhankoy filed a fraud complaint with the police. The woman reported that an unknown person, using the WhatsApp messenger, wrote to her daughter from her father’s account. The false relative asked the child to transfer him money to repair the car. Believing that her loved one needed help, the girl transferred funds to the specified details. After the operation, it turned out that the account was hacked by attackers.

Through INSTALLING THIRD-PARTY APPLICATIONS AND FOLLOWING LINKS

Five citizens fell for the tricks of scammers — they followed links from an unknown source and installed malicious applications.

On the Internet, do not follow links from unknown persons and do not enter your bank card details.

An unknown person called a resident of Simferopol and said that he wanted to buy oxygen concentrate from her, the sale of which the woman had previously posted on an online free classifieds service. The fake buyer sent the complainant a link so that she could provide her bank card details and he could send money for the goods. The woman did so, but after entering the details using the specified link, she received an SMS notification that funds had been debited to an unknown account.

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