Lawyer Shamil Kuramshin told Rossiyskaya Gazeta about the most popular tricks in 2023.
1. Messages about emergencies.
This trick is involved in the emotional state of a person. On social networks, scammers contact the victim and report some kind of emergency, deliberately manipulating consciousness, trying to create panic tension. For example, you receive a notification about an attempt to hack into a bank account. Fraudsters, on behalf of the bank’s security service, recommend transferring savings to certain details, ostensibly to protect the money, as a result of which the victim loses all her savings.
This variant became especially active with the start of SVR. It’s no secret that for many years Ukraine has been the main “hotbed” of fraudulent call centers, which, having received personal information from social networks (phone numbers, mail addresses, etc.), skillfully manipulate the minds of citizens. gullible to steal your money. In order not to face such situations, it is necessary to exclude the publication of personal data on social networks. And when interacting with scammers, you need to keep a “cool head” and not succumb to manipulation.
2. Online dating.
This type of scam is known as “cat-phishing.” Scammers create social media accounts on behalf of attractive girls and men and meet the opposite sex. Then comes the communication stage, through which the fraudster establishes contact with the victim, gives him confidence and manipulates the conscience. Once contact is established, the money attraction begins. As practice shows, the victim cannot refuse a new acquaintance and begins to transfer money in an unknown direction.
3. Charity.
Scammers create accounts for various charitable projects and foundations and start collecting on their behalf for the treatment of children, helping animals, etc. They often use photos of real people who need help, but the funds raised don’t reach those who need it. When planning to provide assistance, it is necessary to carefully study the information about a charity project, to determine whether the foundation is registered in Russia. This will help ensure that the money reaches those who really need it.
4. Online stores.
Scammers create online stores that offer products at deep discounts or below market prices. Fraudulent shops became especially widespread in 2023, when many famous brands left Russia. As a result, the user transfers money for the order, but in the end does not receive it. In order not to become a victim of fraud, you should carefully check the information about the online store and request payment for the order upon receipt.
5. Account hacking.
Many social networks offer their users to link a bank card to make payments within the platform. Fraudsters hack such accounts and withdraw money from a bank card. The main problem in this situation is that it is extremely difficult to return your funds, since the withdrawal of money is done through various multi-way schemes. In order not to become a victim of such a situation, it is not recommended to leave bank card details on the social platform.
Another variant of fraud is sending messages to the user’s friends asking for money. A few years ago, this scheme worked in most cases, but now it is more difficult to attract money in this way, so scammers have to find new tricks.
6. Remote work.
Users receive a notification from a well-known company with an offer to work remotely on social networks. To become an employee of the project, the victim must complete a paid questionnaire, pay a fee, or purchase certain products on their own.
