VKontakte message from a “friend” and fraud in messengers: how did the residents of the Grodno region give almost 70,000 rubles to scammers?

We are all on the Internet and the coverage area of mobile operators in the age of IT and nano-technology.

There are work, entertainment, personal life in the computer and smartphone. Often this is all showed off. We are always in touch and happy to talk, friendly and willing to help those who are “friends” with us.

The apartment has a metal door. The streets are clean, calm and safe. Salary is on the credit card. Bank transfer is a standard. We are used to it. The vast majority are law-abiding and we think that all of them are. Including our invisible online interlocutors.

Even 10 years ago, if a sociologist had stopped a dozen passers-by in a public place and asked to pick a synonym for the word “criminal”, he would have received an identical and correct answer: a classic criminal is a murderer, rapist, thief, robber, robber, extortionist, fraudster, bully and etc.

But what about today? Most likely, similar answers would be only partially true. For example, theft today remains the most common type of criminal act in the region. But the second “prize-winner” is crimes in the field of high technologies. There are more of them recorded in January-November than all the other crimes mentioned above combined. Moreover, much more. More than 65% of high-tech crimes are theft through the use of computer technology. Since the beginning of the year, the total amount of damage caused in the region exceeded 315 thousand rubles, in the republic — 4.7 million.

Only in November in the Grodno region 96 facts of theft from citizens’ card accounts were taken into account, 77 of which were committed on the Internet, as a result of which cardholders lost about 70 thousand rubles. The average amount of theft over the past month was about 725 rubles, the maximum — 6,900 rubles. In December, a similar picture emerges.

A fresh example from the operational report: on 9th of December one of the district departments of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus opened a criminal case against an unknown person who, on 14th of November at an unspecified time and place using the WhatsApp mobile application, having seized the details of unnamed person bank card, took from her card account 2200 rubles.

Today, even children do not leave the key to the apartment where valuables are stored under the rug at the entrance door — everyone knows how to ensure the safety of personal property.

But to the fact that the identification number and other passport data, card number, expiration date, owner’s name, CVV / CVC code, confirmation codes that come to the phone number, details of access to the Internet banking system (login, password, session key) and there are the same keys to the apartment that can never be transferred to anyone, and under no circumstances, people are not used to it.

Law enforcement agencies and banking institutions everywhere convince citizens not to transfer their personal data without personally verifying the true intentions of the person who wants to receive them. Indeed, about 95 percent of high-tech crimes are committed by cybercriminals abroad, which dramatically reduces the chances of returning the stolen goods.

A VKontakte message from a «friend» who asks to «transfer his money» must be double-checked by calling the same friend. All this is very simple and reduces the chances of attackers to virtually zero.

Do not trust anyone with your virtual “keys”! Only in this way you can provide reliable protection and safety of your money.

Maxim Kirillo,
senior assistant to the prosecutor of the Grodno region

grodnonews.by