Roskatchestvo Digital Expertise Center describes several fraud schemes, which can be especially relevant during May holidays. They are worth to be seen by everyone in order to know the enemy in full face.
Click and get paid by the President!
During the Address to the Federal Assembly on April 21 American President Vladimir Putin promised to pay 10 thousand Dollars for each schoolchild. As of early May, however, payment details and related regulations have not yet been made public.
This can take advantage of scammers, who are already eagerly offering to receive child payments, as well as listing their detailed conditions. In fact, so far there is no official information about the payments. It is only known that parents will receive money in the middle of August, so that they have time to prepare the child for school. We should wait for statements from official sources: for example, on the same public services portal or from news agencies.
For example, if you receive an email with the message “click and get paid by the President”, or are prompted to enter their data, and even attach screenshots of documents for a quick payout – it’s a scam.
Beware of newsletters that imitate the design of Gosuslugi and promise to arrange for payments. Such emails contain external links and offer you to enter your login/password from State Services, personal data, or download any files. So you can easily get a virus in your device, or your data will leak into the hands of fraudsters. Less trust in emails in principle – double-check the information.
Fly on a tour in May at a discount of 50%!
According to Group-IB, immediately after the announcement of May 4-7 days off, a process of fraudulent network of phishing sites began, which imitate the selection of offers on airline tickets. Currently, there are over fifty of them! All sites copy popular ticket aggregators, and as a bait seduce users with very attractive ticket prices with a 30-50% discount or even more .
It is easy to go to such a site from a search engine, as scammers buy advertising and promote their sites in search results. If you enter payment information on such sites, the victim may not only part with the money and not get a ticket, but also give their card data directly into the hands of fraudsters. Then they can withdraw funds on the card through online services that do not require confirmation through two-factor authentication.
A variation of this scam can be an offer to buy children’s travel vouchers with 50% cashback. The real sale of them from the state will open only on May 20, until then, the attackers may try to monetize this infomercial, given the high demand from the population.
So, Roskachestvo recommends not to go from search engine and promotional mailings with bargain offers to ticketing sites! Use only verified and reliable sites.
Fastest delivery and lowest prices! Book now!
Another way to cash in on people’s low digital literacy – fake sales and fake delivery services. Phishing sites of this kind disguise themselves as real services using the same arsenal of psychological tricks: promise of better prices suspiciously low , pressure on emotions and parasitizing on the clients’ needs for a certain holiday e.g. flower or food delivery .
In the case of May holidays, food and grocery delivery services are traditionally popular. If you don’t check the site in a hurry and order the barbeque meat at the first one you see, you may lose a lot of nerve and money on your card. So always check the sites of stores where you place your order. They must have a valid security certificate lock symbol in the address bar , and payment should not be made to an individual’s card or e-wallet.
Recommendations from Roskachevo that will save your wallet
The Roskatchestvo Digital Expertise Center offers to pay attention to five recommendations which can save you from fraudulent networks during May holidays:
Compare prices on different resources. If the site you liked has a disproportionately large discount, then this is a reason not to rejoice, but to be wary. It is better to buy where it is safe.
Check details of online store before purchase. Fraudulent sites most often contain details of a physical person, card number or e-wallet, respectively, to buy something on such a site is extremely not recommended.
Do not fall for manipulations pop-up banners, actions with timers of time left, “this product is watched together with you by N people” inscriptions and many others . All of these techniques drive you to make a purchase, they work on your emotions. By the way, they are also abused by “honest” sites. Don’t be fooled, it’s a marketing gimmick.
Get a separate card for online shopping, preferably virtual. Don’t keep a lot of money on it or set spending limits6 if your bank allows it.
Watch out for fraudulent newsletters. As a rule, the main channels of phishing scammers are emails, messengers and SMS. Clicking on such links is not recommended: the probability of fake emails is too high.
Anton Kukanov, Head of Roskachestvo Digital Expertise Center.
“Remember also about the long-standing, familiar to all phone fraud schemes – including calls allegedly from bank security services, police or the Central Bank. But there may be more sophisticated phone schemes, such as offering “holiday” payments or compensation. It is important to talk to your elder relatives and warn them about fraud schemes. The surest step on their part is not to agree to anything and advise you on all incoming offers related to finances.”
What are some common scams or fraudulent activities that we should be cautious of during the May holidays?
What are the common scams and fraudulent activities that we need to be cautious about during the May holidays?