John:
I took part in a contest on the social network Instagram about a month ago, where the prize was any thing I choose, posted on the page. I chose sneakers, wrote to the organizers, after which I was offered to pay for delivery in the amount of $ 20.
After that, I was offered to follow the link, where it was necessary to pay the amount of $ 1 (they explained this by the fact that such contests are accompanied by taxes, and in order not to pay them, participants contribute a symbolic amount of $ 1).
In the amount of the payment, I indicated $ 1, After payment from the card, $ 1000 were debited from me. The prosecutor's office is investigating this incident. Be attentive people, and do not be as gullible as I am!
Financial Culture Expert:
Social media contests are very popular and scammers can use them as bait for gullible users.
First, cybercriminals sent the contestant a link to a phishing site. And then they asked to transfer 1 ruble through it to find out the secret information about her bank card: number, expiration date, card authentication code (three digits on the back - CVV / CVC), name and surname of the owner.
Fraudsters expect that an advance payment of only $ 1 will not frighten a person and he will willingly agree to transfer money in exchange for the desired prize.
In order not to fall for the bait of scammers, always follow the safety rules:
For more information on how to act if the scammers managed to write off your money, read the text What to do if money was stolen from a bank card.
I took part in a contest on the social network Instagram about a month ago, where the prize was any thing I choose, posted on the page. I chose sneakers, wrote to the organizers, after which I was offered to pay for delivery in the amount of $ 20.
After that, I was offered to follow the link, where it was necessary to pay the amount of $ 1 (they explained this by the fact that such contests are accompanied by taxes, and in order not to pay them, participants contribute a symbolic amount of $ 1).
In the amount of the payment, I indicated $ 1, After payment from the card, $ 1000 were debited from me. The prosecutor's office is investigating this incident. Be attentive people, and do not be as gullible as I am!
Financial Culture Expert:
Social media contests are very popular and scammers can use them as bait for gullible users.
First, cybercriminals sent the contestant a link to a phishing site. And then they asked to transfer 1 ruble through it to find out the secret information about her bank card: number, expiration date, card authentication code (three digits on the back - CVV / CVC), name and surname of the owner.
Fraudsters expect that an advance payment of only $ 1 will not frighten a person and he will willingly agree to transfer money in exchange for the desired prize.
In order not to fall for the bait of scammers, always follow the safety rules:
- Do not trust contests in which you have to pay anything - this is a clear sign of fraud. That's why they are contests to give away gifts for free.
- Do not rush to transfer money to unknown recipients on demand and never follow links from strangers.
- Make sure the account of the contest organizer is not fake. It is not uncommon for scammers to create fake pages for organizations and media persons, and then hold "contests" on their behalf. Some well-known personalities and companies are being verified (a blue checkmark appears on the page name) so that their readers know for sure that they have a real account. But not all bloggers go through this procedure. Links to real accounts of organizations in social networks can be found on their official websites.
- Do not enter your bank card details on dubious sites. A secure site has a closed padlock in the address bar, and the link starts with https: //.
- Check the site's security certificate. To do this, click on the lock icon and in the window that opens, select "View certificates". You need to make sure that the certificate was issued to this particular site, and its validity period has not expired.
- Install antivirus software on all gadgets that you use to protect yourself from malicious sites and programs.
- Do not store large amounts of money on the card that you use for everyday spending. It is better to get a separate card for shopping on the Internet and transfer the required amount there every time.
For more information on how to act if the scammers managed to write off your money, read the text What to do if money was stolen from a bank card.
