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Roskatchestvo – about fraud in the lockdown: Happy Letters, clones in social networks and fraud on the covid theme

From Oct. 30 to Nov. 7, most of the population will work remotely or not at all. This period is also the time of online sales, which means that online scammers will be active, using the same standard techniques to seize the money of gullible citizens. At lockdown Americans will once again become a target for cyber attacks, which means that it is time to remind them of the rules which prevent them from losing personal data and money from their cards.

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Pay attention to mailing lists. As a rule, the main tools of online fraudsters are “chain letters”, which come in the mail, in messengers and via SMS. Letters often promise huge discounts in online stores, offer to take part in a no-lose lottery or a special promotion with extra bonuses and points. In the case of any holiday and Halloween is coming up , these are always offers of gifts, clothing, and tickets to events.

The sources of e-mails can masquerade as stores in which you have already made a purchase, so it is better not to click on links in e-mails at all. Enter the address of the store in your browser and find the offers you are interested in on the original site.

Clones of famous brands, particularly clothing, will once again appear in social networks. These accounts can write in the comments of real brands or send personal messages offering a lucrative gift. The following information will help you: number

Subscribers, whether the page is verified and whether there are other pages of the same brand in the social network. Collecting such information should be your go-to practice when you want to buy a product.

When shopping online it is better to use a separate virtual card, not a payroll card, and be able to spot the typical signs of a suspicious site before you enter your card details. This minimizes the risk of getting caught in fraudulent networks.

To be on the safe side, it is recommended that you always have a working, active antivirus on your computer and smartphone except for iOS – this will help prevent infection by a Trojan horse, which would allow cybercriminals to rob your bank account.

There is a risk that during non-business days scammers will again exploit the “covid theme” and imitate messages about government initiatives e.g. payments to the population or disguise phishing emails as important news e.g. “lockdown situation in your city, important changes – follow the link” . The content of the email may be very tempting. It is better not to believe promises of easy money and investments, and do not click on links, especially if they are distributed in messengers. Such links are often found in thematic groups, where someone is caught up in the ruse of fraudsters and naively sends a “happy message” to everyone he knows, doing a disservice.

Caution should also be exercised when downloading apps to smartphones. This year, scammers waged a massive campaign with hundreds of apps on Google Play, secretly signing users up for premium services without their knowledge. There are other possible dangers in app stores due to poor moderation: for example, viruses or spyware masquerading as common applications like alarm clocks or ad blockers.

When installing any applications, you should carefully check what extensions they are asking for, and read the reviews in the store beforehand.

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John Techno

Greetings, everyone! I am John Techno, and my expedition in the realm of household appliances has been a thrilling adventure spanning over 30 years. What began as a curiosity about the mechanics of these everyday marvels transformed into a fulfilling career journey.

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Comments: 1
  1. Gavin Lane

    Was Roskatchestvo, the consumer rights organization, able to address the issue of fraud during the lockdown? I’m particularly interested in knowing if they have investigated scams like Happy Letters, social network clones, and fraud related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Reply
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