Scammers are becoming more sophisticated. In this article, we will talk about the latest tactics used by cybercriminals to deceive people on the Internet.
The digitalization of our daily lives inadvertently creates a space for malicious users to exploit. When we communicate, do business, and seek love online, cybercriminals use loopholes to steal our cash.
Thanks to the wide dissemination of information, common Internet scams, such as letters from the "Nigerian prince", are easily recognized by potential victims. Unfortunately, scammers have improved their methods and are now using more sophisticated tactics to deceive victims. And social networks play a key role in this. In this article, we will tell you what you should pay attention to and how to detect fraud on the Internet.
Scammers create fan pages for popular celebrities and pay to get hundreds of thousands of fake followers. In this way, they create a semblance of fan page legitimacy.
The most popular among scammers are the fan pages of adult movie stars and Hollywood celebrities. In some cases, cybercriminals create fake fan pages of popular musicians and"miracle workers"clergymen.
Scammers carefully study comments to fake celebrities ' posts and identify potential victims. Then, the most fanatical fans and people who want to meet these celebrities receive private messages.
Victims are offered the opportunity to either meet or make some sort of deal with a fake celebrity.
Scammers posing as adult movie stars usually offer victims a " fun vacation." Miracle-working clergymen, in turn, offer various options for a "private miracle session". Victims are then asked to pay a commission to the celebrity's management team, which usually runs into the thousands of dollars.
After payments, victims are either blocked or forced to pay more, as they are asked to pay extra for transport and other logistics.
Due to the private nature of these scams, victims rarely talk about their experiences, and as a result, this type of fraud continues to spread without public awareness.
Here are a few simple things to do to avoid this type of scam:
Telegram groups used for this kind of scam are usually filled with fictitious accounts and random participants. Scammers operate dozens of fake accounts, using which they share false evidence and evidence of the huge revenues they allegedly earned.
The evidence is usually very convincing. These are usually short video clips where people share success stories. Sometimes fake screenshots of PayPal, Skrill, or Payoneer payments are shown from fake accounts.
Cybercriminals who use similar fraud tactics usually have a professional website for their operations. attackers ask victims to use only their official website and warn against transactions with unofficial organizations in Telegram. Of course, this is just part of a sophisticated plan of scammers to convince users of the complete legality of what is happening.
The anonymity offered by both cryptocurrency and Telegram adds additional efficiency to the criminal plan. Victims can't do anything after they've been robbed.
The tactics of cybercriminals have several variations. However, regardless of which option the fraudster uses, there are usually three main features in the scheme:
In some cases, after making a payment, fraudsters give victims something in return. In this way, cybercriminals try to ingratiate themselves in order to get as much money as possible from their victims in the long run.
To avoid such fraud, make transactions only with reputable cryptocurrency companies. Also, ignore messages asking you to pay for the protection of a cryptocurrency mining tool.
Why Facebook? Trust! Because Facebook provides a snapshot of a person's life, victims may think they know the scammer just by scrolling through their profile. After seeing photos of a person, their children, cats, dogs, or home, the victim begins to feel a certain connection.
Of course, all submitted photos are fake.
Previously, scammers simply created a fake Facebook profile to deceive their victims. However, currently Facebook has made this task incredibly difficult. Scammers are now buying existing Facebook accounts. There is even a very thriving black market for Facebook accounts.
Scammers choose accounts that are at least eight years old to convince victims of the reality of the account. Hastily created fake accounts, of course, will not cause trust.
Depending on the target audience, scammers will edit the purchased account to attract the attention of potential victims. Scammers will try to ingratiate themselves as much as possible, and will not ask for money or gifts.
Fraudsters will provide victims with access to a fake online banking platform, usually containing a large amount of money, claiming that this particular platform is used by their company. Cybercriminals will then ask victims to make payments to these accounts.
Of course, the money is not actually transferred anywhere. The platform only simulates a transaction and generates fake receipts. The main idea is to reduce the vigilance of victims and make them believe that the fraudster fully trusts them.
Eventually, the scammers will ask the victim to make a payment to the account, only this time the payment will not go through. The fraudster will pretend to be very disappointed and ask the victim to make payments using their own funds until the problem with the banking platform is resolved.
The victim is sure that the fraudster is rich and will pay them as soon as the problem with the banking platform is solved, and does not hesitate to spend their own funds.
To avoid this type of fraud, avoid any financial transactions directed by the person you met online.
Cybercriminals often change tactics. When the details of one fraud scheme appear on the Internet, cybercriminals immediately switch to another. To stay safe, it is important to be aware of fraud trends and not comply with the requirements of questionable individuals to make any financial transactions on the Internet.
According to the US Federal Trade Commission , a romantic fraud scheme alone generated $ 304 million in revenue for cybercriminals in 2020, up 50% from last year. In total, billions of dollars are lost annually due to fraud.
The digitalization of our daily lives inadvertently creates a space for malicious users to exploit. When we communicate, do business, and seek love online, cybercriminals use loopholes to steal our cash.
Thanks to the wide dissemination of information, common Internet scams, such as letters from the "Nigerian prince", are easily recognized by potential victims. Unfortunately, scammers have improved their methods and are now using more sophisticated tactics to deceive victims. And social networks play a key role in this. In this article, we will tell you what you should pay attention to and how to detect fraud on the Internet.
1. Instragam Celebrity Scams
While celebrity scams on Instagram often go unnoticed, this type of scam is one of the most expensive on the internet. Unlike most cybercriminals who deal with small amounts of money, this type of fraud is usually well – organized and can cause serious damage to victims.Scammers create fan pages for popular celebrities and pay to get hundreds of thousands of fake followers. In this way, they create a semblance of fan page legitimacy.
The most popular among scammers are the fan pages of adult movie stars and Hollywood celebrities. In some cases, cybercriminals create fake fan pages of popular musicians and"miracle workers"clergymen.
Scammers carefully study comments to fake celebrities ' posts and identify potential victims. Then, the most fanatical fans and people who want to meet these celebrities receive private messages.
Victims are offered the opportunity to either meet or make some sort of deal with a fake celebrity.
Scammers posing as adult movie stars usually offer victims a " fun vacation." Miracle-working clergymen, in turn, offer various options for a "private miracle session". Victims are then asked to pay a commission to the celebrity's management team, which usually runs into the thousands of dollars.
After payments, victims are either blocked or forced to pay more, as they are asked to pay extra for transport and other logistics.
Due to the private nature of these scams, victims rarely talk about their experiences, and as a result, this type of fraud continues to spread without public awareness.
Here are a few simple things to do to avoid this type of scam:
- Deal with verified celebrity pages.
- In the case of unverified accounts, avoid those that insist on paying with gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other anonymous payment methods.
- Research the celebrity management team thoroughly before making any payments.
- Please note that most of these offers are fraudulent.
2. Cryptocurrency Fraud on Telegram
Telegram cryptocurrency fraud is a fictitious cryptocurrency mining scheme carried out in Telegram groups. As in other cases of fraud in social networks, attackers use a huge number of participants to fake the legitimacy of the group.Telegram groups used for this kind of scam are usually filled with fictitious accounts and random participants. Scammers operate dozens of fake accounts, using which they share false evidence and evidence of the huge revenues they allegedly earned.
The evidence is usually very convincing. These are usually short video clips where people share success stories. Sometimes fake screenshots of PayPal, Skrill, or Payoneer payments are shown from fake accounts.
Cybercriminals who use similar fraud tactics usually have a professional website for their operations. attackers ask victims to use only their official website and warn against transactions with unofficial organizations in Telegram. Of course, this is just part of a sophisticated plan of scammers to convince users of the complete legality of what is happening.
The anonymity offered by both cryptocurrency and Telegram adds additional efficiency to the criminal plan. Victims can't do anything after they've been robbed.
The tactics of cybercriminals have several variations. However, regardless of which option the fraudster uses, there are usually three main features in the scheme:
- Fake evidence that includes reviews.
- Lots of inactive members.
- Messages in the group are mostly sent by the same accounts.
In some cases, after making a payment, fraudsters give victims something in return. In this way, cybercriminals try to ingratiate themselves in order to get as much money as possible from their victims in the long run.
To avoid such fraud, make transactions only with reputable cryptocurrency companies. Also, ignore messages asking you to pay for the protection of a cryptocurrency mining tool.
3. Facebook Dating Scam
In the past, dating scams were mostly carried out through dating apps and websites. Fortunately, most people have learned not to trust random strangers they meet on dating sites. As this scheme became less profitable, scammers had to change their tactics. Now cybercriminals have started using Facebook for their own purposes.Why Facebook? Trust! Because Facebook provides a snapshot of a person's life, victims may think they know the scammer just by scrolling through their profile. After seeing photos of a person, their children, cats, dogs, or home, the victim begins to feel a certain connection.
Of course, all submitted photos are fake.
Previously, scammers simply created a fake Facebook profile to deceive their victims. However, currently Facebook has made this task incredibly difficult. Scammers are now buying existing Facebook accounts. There is even a very thriving black market for Facebook accounts.
Scammers choose accounts that are at least eight years old to convince victims of the reality of the account. Hastily created fake accounts, of course, will not cause trust.
Depending on the target audience, scammers will edit the purchased account to attract the attention of potential victims. Scammers will try to ingratiate themselves as much as possible, and will not ask for money or gifts.
Fraudsters will provide victims with access to a fake online banking platform, usually containing a large amount of money, claiming that this particular platform is used by their company. Cybercriminals will then ask victims to make payments to these accounts.
Of course, the money is not actually transferred anywhere. The platform only simulates a transaction and generates fake receipts. The main idea is to reduce the vigilance of victims and make them believe that the fraudster fully trusts them.
Eventually, the scammers will ask the victim to make a payment to the account, only this time the payment will not go through. The fraudster will pretend to be very disappointed and ask the victim to make payments using their own funds until the problem with the banking platform is resolved.
The victim is sure that the fraudster is rich and will pay them as soon as the problem with the banking platform is solved, and does not hesitate to spend their own funds.
To avoid this type of fraud, avoid any financial transactions directed by the person you met online.
Evolution of Online Fraud
Previously, a distinctive feature of scammers was broken English and impatience in their actions. Today, these signs are less noticeable. Cybercriminals hire people who speak the language well. They also learn to wait and patiently process the victim-sometimes even for a year - before striking.Cybercriminals often change tactics. When the details of one fraud scheme appear on the Internet, cybercriminals immediately switch to another. To stay safe, it is important to be aware of fraud trends and not comply with the requirements of questionable individuals to make any financial transactions on the Internet.
According to the US Federal Trade Commission , a romantic fraud scheme alone generated $ 304 million in revenue for cybercriminals in 2020, up 50% from last year. In total, billions of dollars are lost annually due to fraud.
