New method of fraud: How do criminals steal people's money?

Specialists of VTB Bank of the Russian Federation have warned of a new scheme of financial fraud, which has begun to be widely used in the territory of the Russian Federation. Criminals pose as bank employees, inform the victim that the validity period of the card is coming to an end and convince to extend it. To do this, fraudsters send potential victims a link to a phishing resource, which, after clicking on it, installs a malicious program on the victim's smartphone.

VTB specialists found out that the users of the messenger also started receiving calls from fake user accounts of major banks. The potential victim is told that the bank card contract is expiring and urgently needs to be renewed. To do this, it is necessary to dictate the code that will be sent via SMS, after which the fraudsters gain access to the victim's user account in banking applications and are able to withdraw money from the account or arrange a loan in the name of the victim.

VTB noted that fraudsters have already used similar schemes, offering to replace the SIM card or extend the contract with the mobile operator. Bank specialists also reminded that from 2020, banks started extending card service even with expired cards. For example, VTB provides cards to customers for 7 years, but they are valid indefinitely and do not need to be renewed.