Banking experts talked about the most popular fraudulent schemes with the involvement of adolescents

According to VTB, since the beginning of 2025, fraudsters have increased their activity on young people and adolescents: the number of theft has doubled compared to last year.

Attackers are actively using social engineering methods and digital technologies to manipulate minors 'trust and gain access to their money or their parents' finances. By the Day of Protection of Children, VTB determined the most common fraudulent tricks for deceiving minors:

Fake online calls. Attackers offer young people easy earnings on the Internet – from paid surveys to participation in marketing experiments and leasing accounts from instant messengers. As a condition for starting work, they often require an advance payment or provide personal data, which ultimately leads to loss of money. In addition, victims are involved in dropper activities, promising a high income for the use of its bank card or means of communication and convincing the lack of responsibility for such actions.

Breaking by phone. Fraudsters call teenagers, introducing themselves to police officers, security services or other official structures, and report nonexistent emergency situations. For example, they argue that parents are in danger, and require urgently transfer money. The goal is to cause fear and make the victim act impulsively.

Fake news and rumors on social networks. Fraudsters deliberately disseminate false information in youth communities to cause trust and manipulate users.

Deception through online games and applications. Attackers create fake promotions, winnings or offer to purchase game currency. To receive a “prize” or bonuses, adolescents are asked to enter the bank card data or transfer money. As a result, children lose their own funds or access to accounts.

Remote control of devices. Under the pretext of “increasing protection” or help, scammers convince the child to install programs for remote access. This allows attackers to gain control over the smartphone and banking applications of parents, which leads to the theft of funds from their accounts.

“Since the beginning of the year, we have recorded a two -time increase in the number of fraudulent attacks aimed at young people. Teenagers become easy prey for attackers due to insufficient experience and gullibility. On the eve of the summer holidays, it is especially important to be attentive, since scammers can be activated during this period. The main recommendation to parents is to explain to children that it is impossible to comply with the requirements of strangers, transfer to anyone the data of bank cards, your phone or account in the landlords and install suspicious applications. It will also be useful to limit access to financial transactions on children's devices, ”said Dmitry Revyakin, VTB Vice President, Head of the Department of Corporate Interest in the security department.