Experts of the Center for Digital Expertise of Roskachestvo named the new and most common types of fraud on the Internet.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, in 2020, crimes using information and telecommunications technologies accounted for 25% of the total number. Over five years, the growth was 1200%.
To minimize the risk to your own wallet, you should stay aware of the typical fraud scenarios used by scammers.
According to Roskachestvo experts, the most popular types of fraud are fake QR codes, fake employment, telephone fraud, phishing sites and Trojan applications.
QR codes, in which the main details of the document are encrypted, have appeared in most notarial data in paper form since the end of last year. Initially, it was assumed that this would help to fight fakes, but scammers began to forge not only the document itself, but also the QR code. After scanning, the user gets to the site, the interface of which copies the appearance of this service of the Unified Information System of the Notary. To be completely sure of the authenticity of the document, you should manually check its details through the official website notariat.ru.
Attackers also take advantage of the fact that Russians have become more likely to look for remote work. They tempt network users with favorable conditions in the ad, but in the course it turns out that for employment you need to open a new account, make an insurance premium, install a branded application, etc. As a result, fraudsters take possession of the personal data of Russians.
According to the head of the Center for Digital Expertise Anton Kukanov, you should never pay a potential employer for employment and send scans of documents to strangers. In addition, you should carefully follow the links to download files and applications that are sent by strangers and unfamiliar people. Just in case, you should always keep the antivirus turned on on your computer and smartphone and do not forget to update it.
Phone scammers also continue to deceive Russians, despite the fact that many have already heard about them. The older age group remains particularly vulnerable. Meanwhile, the attackers give themselves away when they are asked to dictate payment data, transfer funds to an account, install an application or take a loan. In this case, you should just hang up the phone.
Phishing sites imitate various popular services: for the sale of tickets, vouchers, goods, etc. They look like real ones, so they are easily confused with the original. In order not to fall for the bait of scammers, you need to check whether the connection is protected (https://instead of http://), whether the site has a digital certificate (lock), pay attention to the correctness of writing the site address, company details, etc. If there are doubts, you should not use the services offered.
Applications masquerading as useful programs can also pose a danger. When installed, a virus code is embedded in the device, which allows fraudsters to steal passwords and funds from the mobile bank. Kukanov stressed that it is necessary to treat any applications with caution, pay attention to the permissions (accesses) that they request. For example, an alarm clock does not need to know geolocation and contacts at all, the expert noted.