Eset warns of SIM card fraud

[Tomcat]

A new type of fraud has appeared in Russia - cybercriminals make a duplicate of the victim's SIM card and write off money through a banking application, experts from the international developer of antivirus solutions ESET said.

At the first stage, scammers buy accounts on popular social networks on the darknet. They look like the pages of real people and may even contain photographs or be updated periodically.

After that, the search for the victim begins, for which advertising accounts and the built-in search on Facebook and Instagram are used. The main target of hackers is large entrepreneurs, with whom cybercriminals come into contact under the guise of a beautiful and lonely girl. As a rule, the victim is told that she has a lot in common with the fake beauty: it could be a diploma from the same university or a coinciding hobby. Scammers offer to continue communication in the messenger to find out the victim's phone number.

After that, the attackers contact the bank on behalf of their victim in order to allegedly recover the lost password about the application. Since authentication takes place by a mobile number, fraudsters immediately get full access to the client's card.

In order to avoid this type of fraud, Eset experts recommend issuing a second virtual number in the mobile operator's application, switching SMS authorization in all banks to push notifications in the application. In addition, in the office of the telecom operator, prepare a document that allows you to prohibit the issuance of a duplicate SIM card without personal presence. Also, experts advise to remain vigilant and not give a phone number to unfamiliar people.

A source