Many crimes are committed due to the victims' own carelessness regarding the security of their property and a low level of knowledge about the safe use of internet resources.
Many crimes are committed due to the victims' own carelessness regarding the security of their property and a low level of knowledge about the safe use of internet resources.
One of the most well-known and common schemes for stealing money from bank cards is the creation of fake websites. The principle is simple: fraudsters create a website that either looks externally similar to a long-established and trustworthy resource, or masquerades as websites of a specific theme (e.g., courier delivery). The goal is to extract bank card details from the visitor by any means necessary.
What can be done to prevent this?
The tips are simple, but for some reason, not everyone follows them. Firstly, ensure that the website is exactly the one you need, without "extra" letters or symbols in the URL (website address bar). Secondly, only visit verified resources that have existed for a long time and are widely known. Thirdly, do not share your card details carelessly, especially on the internet.
Caution is advised with the following type of scam for those selling items on online marketplaces. For example, you list an unwanted iPhone for sale, and a suitable "buyer" is found. They contact you via messenger ("Viber" or "WhatsApp") and gain your trust by asking about the condition of the item, its accessories, and so on. Interestingly, the fraudster almost always poses as a woman.
When everything seems to be agreed upon, a minor detail emerges: the buyer is abroad and very busy, but desperately wants to buy a gift for their nephew/husband/brother, etc. They are ready to transfer the money for the item to the seller's card. Previously, they tried to obtain all the bank card details; nowadays, they act more cunningly: they provide a link in the correspondence to a phishing page, disguised as the official page of a bank or an online marketplace, and it is there that you are prompted to enter your card details. This is clearly related to the type of fraud described above.
What should be done in this situation?
When you are offered payment for something via bank transfer, this is already a cause for concern. Never disclose your bank account details to third parties: neither your login nor your password. Even if you are strongly tempted. Unless you have a lot of free time, do not try to educate or discipline fraudsters – it is futile, though sometimes amusing.
Another common method of stealing funds from bank cards also warrants attention.
An attacker calls your mobile or home phone and introduces themselves as a bank employee, stating your personal details (e.g., surname, first name, and patronymic). After this, the citizen usually has no doubt that they are speaking with a bank employee.
Having gained the citizen's trust, the attacker informs them that funds are being stolen from their bank card and that, to prevent this, they need to provide all bank card details, including the three-digit CVV code on the back of the bank card.
Once the attacker has obtained all the necessary details of the citizen's bank card, they inform them that a code will be sent to their mobile phone shortly, which they allegedly need to prevent the theft of funds from the bank card. However, in reality, this code sent to the citizen's mobile phone is the crucial element in the attacker's criminal scheme. After receiving it, funds are stolen from the citizen's bank card.
As a rule, when sending this bank code via SMS, the bank warns the citizen that it should never be disclosed to third parties, as money theft is possible.
The whole problem is that citizens are quite careless about such warnings.
Please report all committed crimes by calling tel. 3 20 83 or 102.
Deputy Head of the Department
for Law and Order and Prevention
of the Lepel District Department of Internal Affairs I.N. Kozlov