Greetings to all! Today I want to tell you how to avoid scammers who would like to empty your bank accounts. There are several commonly used scams and I will describe one of them.
Let's start with the fact that any software has weaknesses. No matter how sophisticated the software is, the vast majority of problems arise due to humans.
Fraudsters most often obtain all the information they are interested in from their victim using social engineering methods. They don’t need to try to hack a program, steal a smartphone, or commit other time-consuming offenses - they just need to start a conversation with a citizen. And now I’m not talking about the gypsy woman at the market, allegedly offering to read your hand for free or remove the damage that lies on you and greatly spoils your life.
Deception schemes are always different. Criminals tailor themselves to a specific victim and try to break her brains. The victim can be of any age category and any social status. They deceive everyone - from gullible pensioners to progressive youth.
As an example, I took one of the most popular fraudulent cases. Because of it, people often lose money. I will give a scenario of communication with a scammer to show how to behave correctly in order to stay with your honestly earned money.
Please study the information below carefully and thoughtfully, and share it with those you value. Fraudsters will press where it hurts the most, they work well with a person’s vices, bring out emotions and force them to make hasty decisions.
Note! Fraudsters can call from any number, change their voice and timbre during the call, and introduce themselves as relatives, law enforcement officers and various financial institutions. They use a call back feature to a spoofed number. If you call back the number that appears on your phone, a scammer will pick up the phone.
So, your smartphone receives a call. The Yandex identifier will show the number on your phone screen. It will be defined as the “Main Directorate of Economic Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow.” You pick up the phone.
The interlocutor turns out to be a young, pleasant girl. She introduces herself as a senior lieutenant and states her full name and position, as well as her ID number. If you have any doubts, you can check on the department's website. Everything inspires trust - the phone number matches what is listed on the official website, and the interlocutor knows your name and patronymic.
The girl will ask whether you received a summons to appear at the metropolitan police department at your place of registration and whether you know citizen Nikolai Nikolaevich Petrov. You will answer in the negative, since you did not receive the summons, and you do not know Petrov.
As soon as the interlocutor receives negative answers to her questions, she will give an explanation. The stranger will say that citizen Petrov recently visited a certain bank branch with an interesting document. This was a notarized power of attorney on your behalf. Petrov had information about your personal account and the intention to issue a loan for a huge amount in cash.
The bank employees, of course, were wary. They began to clarify who exactly citizen Petrov is related to you and on what basis he is going to apply for a loan in your absence. Petrov got out of it and said that you are in the hospital and are preparing for a serious and expensive operation. This is exactly what money is needed for.
The scammer on the phone will put psychological pressure on you. She will tell you about Petrov’s suspicious behavior in the bank branch, and that she even had to call the bank’s security service. This scared Nikolai Nikolaevich, and he ran away. As it turned out, Petrov is a serial credit fraudster and is on the federal wanted list. He has allegedly chosen you as his next target and your money is in danger.
After the girl tells this story, she will politely say goodbye, tell you to wait for a call from bank security, and hang up. She supposedly doesn’t need anything else - you don’t know anything about Mr. Petrov.
Calls like these make you nervous. It is unpleasant to realize that a stranger with criminal intentions may have your personal data. In most cases, doubts arise about the sincerity of the telephone interlocutor. But in the lists of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is freely available, you will be able to find your interlocutor. But telephone scammers quite often choose the names of real employees in order to gain the trust of the victim.
Next, you will receive a call from a number that the caller identifies as the number of the Central Bank of Russia. The interlocutor will introduce himself as an employee of the Central Bank security service. You will hear your name and position. It will be possible to check whether such an employee will actually work in the regulator’s office. Fraudsters take into account all the nuances.
You will be reminded by phone that the above-mentioned Nikolai Nikolaevich is wanted. This is the one who tried to take out a loan on you. Everything is in order, a criminal case has already been opened against him for fraud. You will be drawn into a game in which you have already been assigned a special role - the role of a witness. You will want to exclaim: “What a twist!”, but not everything is so simple, dear reader.
A suspicion should arise: why does the bank employee talk about such things and how does he know such nuances? At this stage, you can understand that a scammer is calling and stop communicating.
If you do not hang up, the interlocutor will continue to involve you in communication. He will ask if you have been to suspicious sites, if you have taken out microloans, if you have bet on sports, etc. The main thing for him is to maintain a conversation and gain trust. You will be bombarded with information and deliberately disoriented. The interlocutor's goal is to lull your vigilance.
Suddenly the caller will say that the scammer may be right in the bank. We just need to find him and punish him. You will be asked for assistance and not to tell anyone about the call and the attempt to open a loan on you. All data will supposedly be provided to the Investigative Committee. They will tell you that the situation is under control and say goodbye.
You will not be given a break - almost immediately you will receive a call from the Investigative Committee. The mobile screen will show that the call is from this particular department. There will be a confident male voice on the phone, and the name and position will coincide with those noted on the website of the State Investigative Committee of Russia.
The man will introduce himself as a lieutenant colonel and will press him to change his single personal account. This will supposedly protect your hard earned money. There will be a long conversation about scammers, about how millions are stolen from honest people. They will gain confidence in you. Communication with the “lieutenant colonel” will be friendly - he simply gives you advice. Then he will say goodbye and say that employees of the Central Bank of Russia will contact you.
For those who have never encountered employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, let me explain: they have a lot of work, regardless of their position. No one will just talk to you for a long time. There may be exceptions, but these are rare.
Immediately after the conversation with the “lieutenant colonel” you will receive a call from the regulator. The interlocutor will immediately state that he is your authorized representative from the Central Bank of Russia and will say that you need to re-open a single personal account. To do this, you need to withdraw all the money from the old account, put it into a reserve account and then transfer it to another. They will assure you that the scammers will not touch the money from your reserve account. Allegedly, access to these funds is open only to you.
The interlocutor will assure you that you will be able to catch the criminal (the same Nikolai Nikolaevich) who deceived hundreds of citizens. He will also give his word that your money is safe, because he bears financial and legal responsibility for its safety.
It sounds convincing; after such words, many people have no doubt about the integrity of the telephone interlocutor.
If you agree, the scammers will give you instructions and demand that you follow them exactly. There are different options: they can send you a detailed guide via messenger or email. Or they may manipulate you over the phone. Fraudsters need your personal information to steal your money or take out a loan from you. They may also force you to send funds to their account yourself. Attackers act according to the situation - some intimidate, escalate the situation, while others try to behave with you like good friends. But they don’t look for a beaver from a beaver. Not everyone who behaves politely and nicely to you can be expected to do well. Perhaps he was just up to some mischief.
If you are in doubt, poorly forged documents may be sent as proof. This will confirm the veracity of the scammers' words. Those who continue to doubt are subject to psychological pressure.
When the victim agrees to do as the phone says, he will be directed to the nearest ATM or asked to call the code from the SMS. This is necessary to gain access to the victim’s mobile bank.
Typically you need to do the following:
If you have doubts about the honesty of the telephone interlocutor, request that a notification be sent to you by registered mail against signature. Or, if there is such a need, let them arrange for you to be accompanied by a local police officer. Do not be afraid of law enforcement agencies - they act correctly and fairly with respectable citizens.
Do you often get calls from your bank and say that there is something wrong with your account? Hardly. Typically, bank employees are trying to sell you something, rather than investigating cases to catch fraudsters. Crooks are caught by authorized bodies, not bankers.
You will also need to write a statement to the police. This is done as soon as possible. Police officers may refuse to take a statement - insist and take a ticket. After this, a few days later an investigator will call you. He will ask clarifying questions. Don’t be shy, talk honestly about the incident, even if you are ashamed of it. Don't make things up or downplay them - everything needs to be told as it happened. If you tell a lie, it will easily be revealed by additional questions from the investigator or another police officer.
If you liked this article, tell us about it in the comments. Want to look into other types of scams and social engineering? Write your wishes, let's discuss.
Let's start with the fact that any software has weaknesses. No matter how sophisticated the software is, the vast majority of problems arise due to humans.
Fraudsters most often obtain all the information they are interested in from their victim using social engineering methods. They don’t need to try to hack a program, steal a smartphone, or commit other time-consuming offenses - they just need to start a conversation with a citizen. And now I’m not talking about the gypsy woman at the market, allegedly offering to read your hand for free or remove the damage that lies on you and greatly spoils your life.
Deception schemes are always different. Criminals tailor themselves to a specific victim and try to break her brains. The victim can be of any age category and any social status. They deceive everyone - from gullible pensioners to progressive youth.
As an example, I took one of the most popular fraudulent cases. Because of it, people often lose money. I will give a scenario of communication with a scammer to show how to behave correctly in order to stay with your honestly earned money.
Please study the information below carefully and thoughtfully, and share it with those you value. Fraudsters will press where it hurts the most, they work well with a person’s vices, bring out emotions and force them to make hasty decisions.
Note! Fraudsters can call from any number, change their voice and timbre during the call, and introduce themselves as relatives, law enforcement officers and various financial institutions. They use a call back feature to a spoofed number. If you call back the number that appears on your phone, a scammer will pick up the phone.
So, your smartphone receives a call. The Yandex identifier will show the number on your phone screen. It will be defined as the “Main Directorate of Economic Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow.” You pick up the phone.
The interlocutor turns out to be a young, pleasant girl. She introduces herself as a senior lieutenant and states her full name and position, as well as her ID number. If you have any doubts, you can check on the department's website. Everything inspires trust - the phone number matches what is listed on the official website, and the interlocutor knows your name and patronymic.
The girl will ask whether you received a summons to appear at the metropolitan police department at your place of registration and whether you know citizen Nikolai Nikolaevich Petrov. You will answer in the negative, since you did not receive the summons, and you do not know Petrov.
As soon as the interlocutor receives negative answers to her questions, she will give an explanation. The stranger will say that citizen Petrov recently visited a certain bank branch with an interesting document. This was a notarized power of attorney on your behalf. Petrov had information about your personal account and the intention to issue a loan for a huge amount in cash.
The bank employees, of course, were wary. They began to clarify who exactly citizen Petrov is related to you and on what basis he is going to apply for a loan in your absence. Petrov got out of it and said that you are in the hospital and are preparing for a serious and expensive operation. This is exactly what money is needed for.
The scammer on the phone will put psychological pressure on you. She will tell you about Petrov’s suspicious behavior in the bank branch, and that she even had to call the bank’s security service. This scared Nikolai Nikolaevich, and he ran away. As it turned out, Petrov is a serial credit fraudster and is on the federal wanted list. He has allegedly chosen you as his next target and your money is in danger.
After the girl tells this story, she will politely say goodbye, tell you to wait for a call from bank security, and hang up. She supposedly doesn’t need anything else - you don’t know anything about Mr. Petrov.
Calls like these make you nervous. It is unpleasant to realize that a stranger with criminal intentions may have your personal data. In most cases, doubts arise about the sincerity of the telephone interlocutor. But in the lists of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is freely available, you will be able to find your interlocutor. But telephone scammers quite often choose the names of real employees in order to gain the trust of the victim.
Next, you will receive a call from a number that the caller identifies as the number of the Central Bank of Russia. The interlocutor will introduce himself as an employee of the Central Bank security service. You will hear your name and position. It will be possible to check whether such an employee will actually work in the regulator’s office. Fraudsters take into account all the nuances.
You will be reminded by phone that the above-mentioned Nikolai Nikolaevich is wanted. This is the one who tried to take out a loan on you. Everything is in order, a criminal case has already been opened against him for fraud. You will be drawn into a game in which you have already been assigned a special role - the role of a witness. You will want to exclaim: “What a twist!”, but not everything is so simple, dear reader.
A suspicion should arise: why does the bank employee talk about such things and how does he know such nuances? At this stage, you can understand that a scammer is calling and stop communicating.
If you do not hang up, the interlocutor will continue to involve you in communication. He will ask if you have been to suspicious sites, if you have taken out microloans, if you have bet on sports, etc. The main thing for him is to maintain a conversation and gain trust. You will be bombarded with information and deliberately disoriented. The interlocutor's goal is to lull your vigilance.
Suddenly the caller will say that the scammer may be right in the bank. We just need to find him and punish him. You will be asked for assistance and not to tell anyone about the call and the attempt to open a loan on you. All data will supposedly be provided to the Investigative Committee. They will tell you that the situation is under control and say goodbye.
You will not be given a break - almost immediately you will receive a call from the Investigative Committee. The mobile screen will show that the call is from this particular department. There will be a confident male voice on the phone, and the name and position will coincide with those noted on the website of the State Investigative Committee of Russia.
The man will introduce himself as a lieutenant colonel and will press him to change his single personal account. This will supposedly protect your hard earned money. There will be a long conversation about scammers, about how millions are stolen from honest people. They will gain confidence in you. Communication with the “lieutenant colonel” will be friendly - he simply gives you advice. Then he will say goodbye and say that employees of the Central Bank of Russia will contact you.
For those who have never encountered employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, let me explain: they have a lot of work, regardless of their position. No one will just talk to you for a long time. There may be exceptions, but these are rare.
Immediately after the conversation with the “lieutenant colonel” you will receive a call from the regulator. The interlocutor will immediately state that he is your authorized representative from the Central Bank of Russia and will say that you need to re-open a single personal account. To do this, you need to withdraw all the money from the old account, put it into a reserve account and then transfer it to another. They will assure you that the scammers will not touch the money from your reserve account. Allegedly, access to these funds is open only to you.
The interlocutor will assure you that you will be able to catch the criminal (the same Nikolai Nikolaevich) who deceived hundreds of citizens. He will also give his word that your money is safe, because he bears financial and legal responsibility for its safety.
It sounds convincing; after such words, many people have no doubt about the integrity of the telephone interlocutor.
If you agree, the scammers will give you instructions and demand that you follow them exactly. There are different options: they can send you a detailed guide via messenger or email. Or they may manipulate you over the phone. Fraudsters need your personal information to steal your money or take out a loan from you. They may also force you to send funds to their account yourself. Attackers act according to the situation - some intimidate, escalate the situation, while others try to behave with you like good friends. But they don’t look for a beaver from a beaver. Not everyone who behaves politely and nicely to you can be expected to do well. Perhaps he was just up to some mischief.
If you are in doubt, poorly forged documents may be sent as proof. This will confirm the veracity of the scammers' words. Those who continue to doubt are subject to psychological pressure.
When the victim agrees to do as the phone says, he will be directed to the nearest ATM or asked to call the code from the SMS. This is necessary to gain access to the victim’s mobile bank.
Typically you need to do the following:
- withdraw all money from the account at an ATM (not at the bank);
- deposit them into a “special” account, which the scammers will call.
What to do in this difficult situation?
If you have not encountered law enforcement before, their call can be intimidating. It is important not to panic, to control yourself. There is no need to send anyone anywhere - there are situations when the police actually call. Theoretically, the head of the Investigative Committee himself could dial your number - who knows? But he will not raise personal and, especially, secret topics over the phone. You should be invited to a meeting. Remember that you are not a criminal, you have nothing to fear.If you have doubts about the honesty of the telephone interlocutor, request that a notification be sent to you by registered mail against signature. Or, if there is such a need, let them arrange for you to be accompanied by a local police officer. Do not be afraid of law enforcement agencies - they act correctly and fairly with respectable citizens.
Do you often get calls from your bank and say that there is something wrong with your account? Hardly. Typically, bank employees are trying to sell you something, rather than investigating cases to catch fraudsters. Crooks are caught by authorized bodies, not bankers.
What to do if your money is stolen?
If your account is empty and you realize that you have made a mistake, contact your nearest bank branch immediately. You need to write a statement about what happened. You will have to spend time and describe the state of affairs in two copies. One will remain for you, and the second - for the jar. In a banking organization, by the way, they may discourage you from writing a statement in the first hours after the incident, allegedly it is useless. Don't listen to anyone and write.You will also need to write a statement to the police. This is done as soon as possible. Police officers may refuse to take a statement - insist and take a ticket. After this, a few days later an investigator will call you. He will ask clarifying questions. Don’t be shy, talk honestly about the incident, even if you are ashamed of it. Don't make things up or downplay them - everything needs to be told as it happened. If you tell a lie, it will easily be revealed by additional questions from the investigator or another police officer.
Why is this being done?
Protection against such fraud works differently in different banking organizations. There is a possibility that the money has not yet reached the scammers; they could have been blocked. In this case, they will be frozen and returned to you, if possible. You just need to have time to notify the local security services that you have been deceived.Instead of output
This article is designed to teach you to understand the types of fraud, determine who is talking to you on the phone and what they need. If you realize that scammers are calling, hang up, block their numbers, don’t waste your time. Share your knowledge with your relatives and loved ones, especially the elderly. Keep children and teenagers away from bank cards, in particular high-cost ones - they can also become victims of scammers. Minors are quite easy to manipulate.If you liked this article, tell us about it in the comments. Want to look into other types of scams and social engineering? Write your wishes, let's discuss.
