How to protect yourself from phone scammers. Memo “How to protect yourself from scammers”

There are already queues of defrauded citizens at Sberbank: they have to get a new card to replace the canceled one. Most often, pensioners are scammed by scammers - due to their gullibility and increased responsibility: older people diligently follow the instructions of criminals, sincerely believing that they really are bank employees and are helping them not to lose money. But anyone can fall for the bait of deceivers.

SMS from fake “bank employees”

“This scheme is used constantly. Fraudsters use calls and SMS. Not everyone gets caught. I think that you can fall for this if a series of coincidences occurs. For example, I use a Sberbank card as a salary card. And suddenly the card received a larger amount than usual. That is why I reacted painfully to the strange SMS that came to my phone - it said that my card was blocked and “due to a compromise, your account was exposed,” says Evgenia, a journalist. “I had a little financial disaster and it confused me.” Without thinking, I immediately called the phone number indicated in the SMS. But you should have called Sberbank! By phone indicated on the card and on the Sberbank website.”

The strangers at the other end of the line introduced themselves as bank managers and began their “work.” They asked Evgenia for her card number, which she gave, and then warned that SMS messages from the bank would now be coming, and asked her to provide the password numbers.

“Only later did I realize that at that moment, already knowing my card number, they hacked into my personal account on the Sberbank website - that’s why messages came from number 900 - the official number of the bank, from which all notifications about card movements usually come , says Evgenia. “I was robbed with my own participation.” But they did not have time to transfer money from my card. Something tugged at me. I remembered that usually in a conversation a bank employee asks for a code word. But this time they didn’t ask me about it. I hung up and called Sberbank back.”

It turned out that Evgenia’s card had indeed already been blocked, and the bank’s computer data reported that a transaction was currently taking place on the card. Sberbank managed to stop the operation and canceled the card. Evgenia had to go to the bank to get a new card.

“At Sberbank they told me that this is a popular deception scheme. The very next day they posted a warning about such a scheme on their website.”

Evgenia notes that scammers are clearly good psychologists. “They use different techniques in conversation. They are very polite, they sympathize with you. And at the same time they immediately say that the problem has already happened, setting up the “client” for the irreparable: “We are very sorry for you, we hope that this is not your last money, but it is no longer there, it was stolen from the card. Let's at least try to find out who took money from your card. And justice will be restored, and by doing this you will help others.” You end up having a sincere and grateful conversation with the person who is deceiving you.”

“If you are contacted by phone, on the Internet, through social networks or in other ways and under various pretexts they try to find out your bank card details, passwords or other personal information, be vigilant: these are clear signs of fraud. If you have any doubts, we recommend that you stop communicating and contact the bank at the phone number indicated on the back of your bank card,” Sberbank addresses its clients on the website.

A few simple safety rules will help when using a mobile phone, tablet or computer:

Online commerce is a breeding ground for fraud

Another common method of fraud operates on the Internet, for example, on the Avito portal. You have posted an advertisement for the sale of something, the buyer calls and, after superficial questions, offers to pay for the purchase in advance on your card (as a rule, we are talking about Sberbank cards due to their prevalence and versatility of the service).

“It would seem that things are going as well as possible, except for one detail: your interlocutor asks for the details of your bank card,” he says about the actions of the scammers Dmitry Volosov, managing partner of the law firm “Securities Consulting”. – Allegedly so that he could make a payment. Moreover, it asks not only for the card number, but also for the spelling of the name, expiration date and even... the security code on the other side of the card! Sometimes, in an unctuous voice, he offers to send a photo of the card - “to make it more convenient for you.” Once the data is transferred, there is one step left to defeating the scammers and defeating you as the hapless seller.”

At this point in the diagram, options are possible. Or the buyer himself will call you and ask you for the SMS code sent to your phone number (and the code will actually arrive!). This is the simplest option, since the very explanation of the need for such an action is simple: “so that I can send you money.” Or someone will call, call you by name in a stern voice and introduce themselves as an employee of some service of your bank. There is only one ending: this official interlocutor will also ask you to give the SMS code.

“Then events develop rapidly: the attackers gain access to online management of your account (and the code you dictated from the SMS was nothing more than a code to restore such access) and instantly transfer money from your account to where they need it,” explains the lawyer . “And they transfer not only from the card account whose data you provided to them (a common misconception), but from all other accounts too - access to Internet banking will allow you to operate with all your accounts.”

In fact, avoiding such fraud is elementary. It is enough to imagine how the online banking payment system works. “For your interlocutor to transfer money to you, he does not need to know all your bank card details. Her number is enough. And in the Sberbank-online system, which accounts for the lion’s share of fraud, the function of payments by the recipient’s phone number has long been in place, notes Dmitry Volosov. – That is, if I am a bona fide payer, I enter your phone number in the Internet bank, and the system itself searches for your data as a bank client and ensures payment. At the same time, the exact data is still not visible to me: for control, your first and middle name and the first letter of your last name, as well as the first and last digits of the card are offered. Therefore, if I really want to send you money, I call and say all of the above myself, and you only confirm the relevance of the data.”

There is another way to cheat on the Internet. “Fraudsters take advantage of people’s illiteracy and ignorance and get our money. Now there are many ways to commit card fraud. The most popular ones are related to online stores and ATMs.

“Online shopping is a very common method of fraud,” notes Milana Dadasheva, lawyer, candidate of legal sciences, deputy chairman of the Moscow Bar Association "Solidarity". – When you buy something on the Internet, you must always keep in mind that if the product is offered at a price several times lower than the market price, then something is wrong. Often, a site with “attractive” offers, be it real or virtual goods, is simply an operator between you and your bank, which filters out the payment information and redirects it to another account.

In this case, you yourself enter the payment confirmation code sent by the bank to your mobile phone, and after that the money is debited from the card, you do not receive the goods.” The lawyer notes that fighting fraudsters in this case is very difficult.

“Remember that all normal stores give you the opportunity to choose a payment option, including payment to the courier upon delivery of the goods. And moreover, a real store always indicates all its details, contacts, telephone numbers and addresses, notes Milana Dadasheva. “Also carefully read what is written in the SMS with the payment confirmation code - the bank clearly states the purchase amount and the name of the organization that issued the invoice.”

Another good option is to keep a separate card for paying online payments, which has a modest limit on funds. This will at least save you from theft of a large amount.

Another false situation is that you allegedly got a big win. Fraudsters call and tell you about such good news, explaining that to transfer money you need a card number and its data. Milana Dadasheva notes that under no circumstances should you fall for such scams and believe the millions that fall from the sky.

One-Armed Bandit

Nowadays, this can be called not only a slot machine, but also an ATM - if it is equipped with a fraudulent “body kit”. Fraudsters use so-called “overlays” on the keyboard and “envelopes” on the card receiver.

“If it’s a keyboard overlay, you insert the card, enter the PIN code, but the ATM doesn’t dispense money, and it doesn’t give the card back either,” explains Milana Dadasheva. – And the scammers get your PIN code and your card while you call the bank and try to find out the reasons.

The same thing happens in the version with “envelopes” - these are special covers for the card reader. They prevent the ATM from reading the card number. You enter the code, but the ATM cannot issue either money or a card. This is taken advantage of by scammers who are usually nearby - they allegedly volunteer to help you, and taking advantage of your inattention, they withdraw your money.”

Therefore, the lawyer advises, whenever you use an ATM, carefully examine the keyboard, because at first glance the overlay is no different from a real keyboard.

But perhaps the most common method of card fraud, sadly enough, is when we ourselves, voluntarily, give the fraudster all the necessary data so that he can calmly, without even receiving the card, transfer the entire amount.

How to protect yourself from deception

What to do and how to behave in order to insure yourself against deception and not become a victim of scammers? We must follow the rules of financial hygiene. “The general principle of protecting all banks from remote access of fraudsters to your account is the same: physical separation of sources from which information must be obtained to complete a transaction,” recommends Dmitry Volosov. – For example, to pay for a purchase directly on an online store website using a bank card, you need to know:

a) number and other details of the bank card located on its front side,
b) security code (the so-called CVV code) - three digits located on the back of the card,
c) additional confirmation in the form of either an SMS code, which is sent by the bank in an SMS message to the account owner’s phone number to confirm a specific payment, or a 3D Secure code, which is created by the owner independently and in advance, and is valid to confirm any online payments.

As you can see, if you have not lost a bank card with a sticker pasted on it, on which all the codes and passwords are written (and this happens!), then it is not so easy for fraudsters to gain access to your account. Therefore, all the tricks of attackers, regardless of variations and verbal embellishments, are aimed at solving one single task - to collect together the necessary and sufficient data to make a payment on your behalf, but without your knowledge.”

In addition, real employees of a real bank, reminds Dmitry Volosov, never ask you to tell them the contents of SMS messages coming from their bank to you as a client of this bank. This is strictly forbidden to them, and banks, as they say, trumpet this ban on every corner.

“Thirdly, at the level of common sense, it is obvious that your interlocutor is lying in the following cases:

– For payments from him to you (in the case of online sales), your security code is not needed, either on the back of the card or in the SMS message received; After all, it’s he who pays you, not you who pays him! Think about it: why on earth should you, a stranger, receive messages from the bank on your phone number so that a person who has nothing to do with you can pay something somewhere from his account!

– Would you buy an item without looking, transferring its full cost in advance, especially to a person you absolutely don’t know? No. So ask yourself the question, why would anyone be willing to do this? Is it because he's not really going to buy anything?

– Invite your interlocutor to change something in the sequence of actions he proposed. For example, send you money not using your bank card details, but using your phone number. Or even meet in person and pay in cash, citing the fact that you do not have a bank card. If the deal falls through immediately, they were scammers.”

If fraudsters have debited funds from your card, you can still get them back.

To do this you need:
Notify the bank about the unauthorized transaction no later than one day after receiving notification from the bank about such transaction. A quick reaction is the most important thing in such a situation.
Urgently call your bank and block the card to prevent fraudsters from withdrawing new tranches from the card. And then within 24 hours you need to write a written complaint describing what happened. Moreover, it is better to come to the bank in person - give one copy to the bank employees, and keep the second one - with the bank's visa - for yourself.
The next step is to go to the police station and write a statement about the fact of fraud. As for the bank, it considers the claim within a month, although the terms for returning money are not defined by law. However, if you yourself are to blame for becoming a victim of criminals - that is, you gave them all confidential information, passwords, codes, or lost your card, but did not inform the bank about it on time, your money will not be returned.

Law enforcement practice that has developed in our region based on citizens’ appeals and materials from criminal cases indicates the presence of several traditional “schemes” according to which criminals work.

The most commonly used scam is communication fraud, including over the phone.

In order to gain a person’s trust using only a telephone, scammers also use psychological techniques. The victims, as a rule, are predominantly socially vulnerable people, gullible pensioners, and teenagers. Fraudsters find weaknesses that they can put pressure on. What feelings do scammers play on? First of all, this is fear for loved ones, excitement - the desire to win a big prize, curiosity - the desire to gain access to SMS and calls of other people, concern for your phone number, bank account or credit card. Practice shows that people, having believed, transfer money to scammers money... How do scammers get victims' money? They ask to transfer the money to their accomplices or leave it at an appointed place. Through express payment cards, the codes of which must be sent to them. They ask you to deposit the required amount into your number or by money transfer.

Attackers often call their potential victims at random. The victims are located in different parts of the country. It is not easy to identify the attacker, since all the numbers are often registered to dummies. Thus, the law prohibits convicts from having mobile communications. The number of confiscated phones is increasing in places of deprivation of liberty (their number reaches tens of thousands). Currently, legislators are developing a norm according to which it is proposed to introduce liability for bringing a telephone into the territory of a colony or pre-trial detention center into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

SMS is a blind scam: such messages are sent in large volume in the hope of a gullible recipient. A telephone call is for professionals, since the victim can expose the scammer during a conversation with random questions.

For example, you received an SMS message that your bank card is blocked, and therefore you need to transfer money to unblock it, call or send an SMS to a short number, or you are offered to call a specific number for free to receive detailed information.

Never send any money to the coordinates specified in the message, do not call back the number from which it came, and do not send reply SMS. Call the bank that issued and services your card. You will find the bank's phone number on the back of your card. Remember that the only organization that can inform you about the status of your card is the bank that services it.

If you nevertheless called the specified number and were informed that there was a failure on the server responsible for servicing the card, and then asked to provide the card number and PIN code for its re-registration, then, having received this information, the scammers will withdraw money from Your account. Never tell anyone your card PIN code. No organization, including a bank, has the right to demand this information. Remember Keeping your details and PIN code secret is your responsibility and obligation.

Fraudsters most often ask to transfer funds for a relative of the telephone addressee who is in trouble (accident, police, hospital). For example, a relative or acquaintance called you and said that he was in an accident or committed a crime, and to solve the problem a certain amount of money is needed, for which a courier will come, or which needs to be transferred to an “electronic wallet” or phone number. Next, a police officer allegedly enters into the conversation, confirming the words of the “relative” (acquaintance). And citizens, believing, transfer money. How to behave in this situation?

Never comply with these requirements. Immediately interrupt the conversation and call your relative back on his real mobile phone. If the phone is turned off, try to contact his colleagues, friends or relatives to clarify the information. If you are talking to a person who introduces himself as a representative of law enforcement agencies, ask which police department he is from, after the call, dial “02”, find out the number of the duty station of this department and ask whether your relative or friend was actually taken there. As a rule, several criminals are involved in organizing ransom phone scams. The person calling you may be in a correctional labor institution, while his accomplice is free. By dialing phone numbers at random, the scammer pronounces a prepared phrase, and then acts according to the circumstances. Fraudsters try to intimidate the victim and not allow her to come to her senses, so they conduct a continuous conversation with her until they receive money. Also remember that asking for a bribe and giving a bribe is a crime.

On an electronic bulletin board (purchase and sales sites) or on a social network you found a product you need, an apartment for rent, a well-paid job.

Never transfer money to “electronic wallets,” mobile phone numbers, or bank accounts without making sure that the counterparty is trustworthy. As a rule, scammers attract their victims with low prices and advantageous offers and require an advance payment. Carefully study the ad, look at information about the person who posted it. If the marketplace has a seller rating system, look at the reviews left by other buyers, keeping in mind, however, that the criminal may leave positive reviews about himself using additional accounts. Use an Internet search. Sometimes it is enough to enter the phone number or online alias of the seller into the search form in order to discover that this data has already been used to steal money and deceive buyers. Use the phone number provided to check the region code and whether it matches the one stated in the ad. Look at the average cost of similar products. An excessively low price should make you suspicious. If the seller requires a full or partial advance payment for the purchased goods to be transferred to an electronic account, think about how much you are willing to trust a stranger. Remember that when transferring money to strangers through anonymous payment systems, you have no guarantee of their return if the transaction does not take place.

In no case should you tell potential buyers, sellers, tenants, or landlords your personal data, passport number, or PIN codes that may be sent to your mobile phone, supposedly confirming consent to the transfer, since only a bank card number is sufficient to transfer the deposit , located on the front of the card. If they ask for other information, they are scammers!

If on the Internet on one of the popular sites you find an advertisement for employment for a well-paid job and after calling the number indicated in the advertisement, supposedly, the future “employer” asks you to come to the office, but before that asks you to buy candy, cognac, wine , colors and putting money on the phone of the “future boss” - these are scammers! Real employers invite you for an interview.

You decide to buy a new mobile phone, laptop or other item at an attractive price in an online store, but the store asks for an advance payment.

Please remember that the online store cannot accept payment for purchases in this form. If you are asked to pay for goods using express payment terminals or transfer money to an “electronic wallet”, the likelihood that you have encountered scammers is extremely high. If you decide to buy a product on prepayment, look for information about the store on the Internet, see how long it has been on the market. If you are dealing with the website of a large or well-known company, make sure that the resource address is written correctly in the address bar of your browser. If necessary, request store administrators to provide you with information about the legal entity, check it using publicly available databases of tax authorities and the register of legal entities. Make sure you know the address to which you can send a claim if you are unhappy with your purchase.

You want to purchase tickets online.

Never use the services of unverified and unknown ticket sales sites. Book tickets through the website of an airline or agency that has proven itself in the market. Do not transfer money for tickets to electronic wallets or foreign accounts. If you have any doubts, contact the airline representative to make sure that your flight exists and tickets are still available.

You have received an SMS or MMS message with a link to download a postcard, music, picture or program.

Never click on a link provided in a message. Remember that by clicking on the link you can, without knowing it, get a virus on your phone or subscribe to paid services. Even if the message came from a person you know, make sure that he is the sender, because the message could have been sent from an infected phone without his knowledge. Installing antivirus software on your mobile device is a measure to increase your security.

You have received an email stating that you have won a car (or other prize) and you are asked to transfer money to receive the prize, citing the need to pay taxes, customs duties, transportation costs, etc.

Never send money to strangers to their electronic accounts. Think about whether you took part in the prize draw, do you know the organization that sent the notification of the winnings, how do the organizers of the promotion know your contact information? Remember that the probability of winning a prize without taking part in the drawing tends to zero, and the probability of returning money transferred to the anonymous “electronic wallet” of attackers is even less. Any request to transfer funds to receive winnings should alert you. It must be remembered that winning the lottery entails tax obligations, but the procedure for paying taxes is regulated by current legislation and is not carried out by transferring funds to electronic accounts of citizens and organizations or “electronic wallets”.

Fraudsters, posing as employees of social services (housing and communal services, post office, pension fund, etc.) enter the apartment, where they inform pensioners that bonuses have been credited to their account, for example, for Victory Day or other holidays or additional payments to pensions. In exchange, they ask for money for “paperwork.”

Never give money to social workers. Current legislation does not provide for the collection of funds for the transfer of pensions, benefits or other social benefits to be paid.

If a crime is nevertheless committed and money is stolen, citizens must immediately contact the police by calling “02” or in person at the territorial police department.

Everyone has encountered scammers in their life. The head of the department for solving serious property crimes of the criminal investigation department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Surgut region, police major Ildar Khuzhin, told our editorial office how to protect yourself from attacks on your hard-earned money.

- Ildar Tagirovich, what types of fraud against citizens are currently the most, so to speak, popular? How many facts have been registered in the Surgut region?

In the Surgut region, more than 70 complaints regarding fraud have been registered since the beginning of the year. This figure is higher than for the same period last year. Basically, we are talking about deceiving citizens via the Internet. Most people still fall for scammers and easily give them money.

- How does deception occur via the Internet?

Fraudsters are coming up with more and more deception schemes. I will tell you about the most common ones. For example, buying goods online. Seeing a product at an attractive price, citizens try to purchase it.

So, the day before, a citizen born in 1965 contacted the duty station of the Department of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Surgut region. On one of the popular websites he saw an advertisement for the sale of a GAZ car and called the seller. He asked for a deposit. When the man transferred the required amount, the scammer asked for more. In total, the victim transferred 117 thousand rubles to the scammers’ account. Now the phone is switched off, the ad has been deleted, and we have another victim of the attackers.

Or such a case. At the beginning of March, the duty station of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Surgut region received a message from a citizen born in 1962. that in December he purchased a snowmobile engine for 70 thousand rubles on one of the Internet sites. However, I still have not received the goods. The telephone numbers listed on the site do not answer, and the site itself has been removed from the Internet.

- How to protect yourself from such scams?

Do not make advance payments until you are sure that the product you are buying exists and the seller is a real person. For example, when purchasing a car, insist on a personal meeting with the seller. Carefully look at the documents on the car. When transferring money, record this fact with a receipt indicating these documents identifying the seller and buyer. When purchasing goods from websites, find information on the Internet about a specific online store: how long has it been trading, reviews about its work.

Recently, the police have been receiving complaints from citizens who have become victims of fraud through social networks. Fraudsters hack a user’s page on the Internet and send messages asking everyone who is a friend to lend money. In this case, it is better to call back the person who asks you to borrow money. If this is not possible, ask personal questions that your friend knows the answers to. For example, how many children do you have, their names, the make of your car, what is the name of your wife or husband.

Another method of fraud is online lending: a significant amount of money is offered at very low interest rates. Thus, a resident of Lyantor was offered a loan of two million rubles on one of the Internet sites, which she planned to spend on buying an apartment. The scammers first asked for money for processing documents, then for sending them, then for paying taxes. As a result, under various pretexts, the woman transferred them a total of 330,000 rubles, and only after the scammers’ phones stopped answering did she realize that she had been deceived.

- Are various websites selling air and train tickets safe?

With the beginning of the summer period, such types of fraud become, unfortunately, relevant. The advice here is this: again, do not chase low prices, buy tickets only on the official websites of airlines or on well-known ticket sales websites. And under no circumstances use the services of unfamiliar, unverified sites that have only recently existed and about which there is no information or reviews on the Internet.

- Previously, there was such a scheme of deception: “Mom! I got into an accident!” or “Mom! I’m in trouble with the police, I urgently need money!” Do citizens still fall for such tricks?

This year no such facts were registered, but last year there were.

- How to determine that the caller was not a scammer?

First of all, don't panic. Ask the caller personal questions, the answers to which will help determine whether he is truly your relative. If the answers raise the slightest suspicion, immediately contact law enforcement agencies.

- “Your bank card is blocked” - a similar SMS was probably received by many. How to proceed in this case?

The SMS that comes from the bank contains not just the word “bank”, but its exact name. Sometimes even the last three digits of the card. The number from which the SMS came should not be a cell phone number.

But citizens continue to believe. Thus, a resident of the urban settlement of Bely Yar received a call on her mobile phone from an unknown person who introduced himself as a bank employee. The man said that her bank card was blocked and asked her to go to the nearest ATM. After all the requirements were met, 16 thousand rubles were debited from the victim’s card.

The first rule in this case is not to panic. What should the victim do? Stop the conversation and call the bank yourself. Just not by the number indicated in the SMS. Any card has a bank number, call it or contact the bank in person, even if they say on the phone that if you delay, your money will be stolen. And under no circumstances give your bank card details to anyone.

Just two weeks ago, the duty station of the Solnechny police department received a message from a resident born in 1984 that a message had been received on her mobile phone: a payment in the amount of 9,300 rubles had been reserved from a bank card in an online store. The message included a bank support number, and the woman called it back. The attacker warned that in order to prevent money from being written off from the account, it is necessary to provide the card number and numbers located on its back side. After which about 150 thousand rubles were written off from the victim’s account. An investigation into this fact is currently underway.

- Recently, cases of fraud using “mobile banking”, “online banking”, etc. have become more frequent. What to do? Don't enable these options?

These systems can be used. You just need to follow some rules. First, you must have a strong antivirus system installed. It is viruses that often help scammers take advantage of your online bank. To date, the Department of Internal Affairs has 7 such statements, when no one called the person, did not receive SMS, and the money was stolen. Secondly, never give your card details to anyone. Thirdly, it is advisable not to use the SIM card to which all these systems are connected to access the Internet at all. It should only be for online banking and mobile banking. Fourth, periodically change passwords for these online systems. And one more rule. If you have lost your SIM card, blocked it, damaged it, or thrown it away, be sure to disconnect all online systems that were linked to it. When the operator reissues a SIM card, it can give access to the account of the former owner of the number.

- Are you able to identify the criminals?

It is extremely difficult to solve such crimes, since the SIM cards from which calls are made are often registered to lost or stolen documents. In addition, now it is possible to buy a SIM card at the terminal without documents at all. As a rule, if the criminals are identified, a series of similar crimes are immediately revealed.

We have facts of uncovered fraud. Thus, the fact of fraud was discovered when a resident of Lyantor asked for a consumer loan by joining a group on a social network. She was sent a message that to draw up an agreement she needed a copy of her passport and 1,500 rubles to pay for the “electronic signature” service. The victim transferred the required amount, but the fraudster said that this service had become more expensive and another 1,500 rubles were needed. Later, the attacker asked to transfer another 3 thousand rubles as confirmation of her solvency, explaining that this money would be credited to the first loan payment. The woman realized that she had been deceived and contacted the police.

During operational search activities, a resident of Surgut, born in 1992, was identified and detained, who confessed to his crime. The investigation department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Surgut region opened a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Part 1 of Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud). The sanction of the article provides for a maximum penalty of imprisonment for up to 2 years.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to urge citizens to be more vigilant. Remember that scammers know psychology well. They rely on the gullibility of people who agree to follow other people's instructions. Speak calmly, ask questions, answer that you need to think and consult with loved ones - this behavior will definitely scare away intruders! Remember, scammers are very creative! They constantly come up with new schemes to deceive citizens. Never share your personal data with people you don’t know or don’t know, don’t make purchases at suspiciously low prices, check the information you receive via SMS, email or phone. If you have even the slightest doubt, do not transfer money.

Are scammers everywhere? In our time, fraud has reached a truly great scale. You can fall for their bait in many areas, from mobile phones to the purchase of expensive real estate. The main fight against fraudsters is not investigative activity, but vigilance, which should be exercised everywhere. In this article we will look at the most common tricks of dishonest people to lure out money.

Mobile phone

This is truly a gigantic criminal mechanism that collects millions of rubles from gullible people. The deception schemes are simple and designed to evoke feelings of fear and panic, and they work quite well. Here are the most common ones:

• “Hello, this is Masha (Sasha, Petya, etc.) give me 500 rubles for this number, I’ll come and explain.” Usually this is a mass mailing aimed at the fact that a person actually knows someone with that name. Always pay attention to the phone number; as a rule, it is not even from your region.
• “Hello, I’m a schoolgirl, please return the money, I made a mistake and put it on your number, they will scold me.” As a rule, first a message is sent to the number indicating that a certain amount has been credited to the balance. You should always pay attention to the number from which the message came; if this is really a balance replenishment, then the number is a service one (4 digits). Fraudsters send such messages from regular numbers. And most importantly, check your balance.
• “Your card is blocked. To unblock, call number XXXXXXX.” There are two scenarios here, or a number that you need to call back, the so-called paid line, and during the conversation it turns out that the bank made a mistake and everything is fine. Everything except the phone balance. The second, less pleasant outcome, is that the bank operator allegedly talks to you and clarifies your details, card number, and other information necessary for the scammers, and then they simply empty the card.
• “You won a phone (TV, tablet, refrigerator) in the lottery.” To confirm, you are asked to send your consent in a return SMS to a short number, and the funds are withdrawn immediately or daily, usually in a small amount.

Plastic cards

Plastic cards have become widely used by people, regardless of their social status and age. Even many pensioners have been receiving pension accruals on a plastic card for a long time. Cards are a tasty morsel for swindlers, as many keep their savings on them.

There are many ways to gain access to your card, but if you simply follow the following rules, you can protect yourself as much as possible.

• It is advisable to withdraw cash from ATMs that are located directly at the bank branch, this will provide maximum protection against reading the card data and making a duplicate.
• If you use systems of personal accounts and mobile devices, then never log into your account from other people’s devices (computers, mobile devices, and even public “free WI-FI”). If you do have to log in, always clear your browsing history.
• Never tell anyone your card details, much less your PIN code and CVV/CVC codes (the numbers on the back of the card. Remember that knowing the number and this code, scammers will be able to pay for their purchases with your card.
• Do not trust unfamiliar sites when paying for online purchases. These may be sites with very cheap goods; if you enter your card details, you will not only not receive the goods, but will also lose all your available money.
• Keep track of the phone number associated with the card, and never apply for a card at so-called corporate rates. In the future, the new owner of the number can gain access to your data.

Beware seniors!

Elderly citizens are often targeted by scammers. Fraudsters have come up with many reasons to get money out of you. Exchange of money, prepayment for meters or repairs in the apartment, and many other reasons to lure money, while the IDs of social workers and even the administration are used.

The most common type of extortion of money from the elderly is a relative in trouble. The reasons are different: I got into an accident, stole a vacuum cleaner, broke a window. As a rule, the victim hears a few words from a relative (who is very hard to hear), and then a police officer, drug control officer, or even the FSB answers the phone and offers to resolve the issue. And then the money is transferred to the courier or transferred to the left cards or phones. Well, then the finale, it turns out the grandson successfully helps his parents weed at the dacha. Always call back your relatives in trouble, this will help preserve your savings.

All of the above are the most common tricks of scammers. The main thing is to be careful, do not trust people you don’t know. Talk to your elderly relatives, and then not a single scammer will get close to you or your family.

Instructions

Do not let strangers into your apartment, even if they introduce themselves as social workers or representatives of utility services. Ask for documents confirming the words of unexpected guests. If you are not sure that you can distinguish a fake, then ask for a phone number where you can contact the management and find out whether these are the people they claim to be. As a rule, in such cases, scammers are immediately removed under various pretexts.

Do not agree to the offer to tell you about your future. Try to move away from the person providing this type of service as quickly as possible. Most often they use hypnosis. You won’t even notice how you will give away all your money and valuables. If you can’t get away from scammers, don’t answer their questions and don’t make eye contact. Try to attract the attention of strangers, ask them for help.

Don’t believe it if they call you and say that someone close to you is in an unpleasant situation. Nowadays, a very popular scenario is that your home phone receives a call from a person who reports that your relative was in an accident or got into a fight with someone and is now facing prison time. You are offered to meet within a few hours and give a considerable amount of money to solve all the problems. First of all, try to contact the relative in question by any possible means. If it is not available, contact someone who may know its location.

Do not give your money or things to anyone, even if you are assured that they will be returned immediately. Also, do not agree to share money that someone allegedly found in a lost wallet. Try to take out your money unnecessarily as little as possible. This may provoke scammers into choosing you as their victim.

Video on the topic

Fraud has existed in various forms throughout human history. But with the development of high technologies, combinations of taking money from the population have become significantly more complicated.

Instructions

If you do not want to become a victim of scammers, then do not chase “super-profitable” and “ultra-cheap” offers. When you see an interesting offer, put yourself in the seller’s shoes. Think about it, why does he give such a discount? For example, a large markdown was made on . This may be due to expiration date. Therefore, before purchasing, read the manufacturing date and shelf life.

To protect yourself from scammers, check the information provided to you. If the company decorated its office with diplomas and certificates, read the details of the organizations that issued these documents. Then find out from these institutions whether this company was actually awarded these regalia. In case of fraud, terminate your business relationship with this company. After all, by providing clients with false information once, they may do so in the future.

Trust only the facts. For example, if an Internet entrepreneur claims to have been online for 10 years, check