Russians are warned about a new scam involving the purchase of cryptocurrency

VTB specialists warn of a new wave of fraud that begins with hacking accounts in instant messengers.

Having gained access to the correspondence, the attackers, on behalf of the victim, turn to her friends and relatives with requests for an urgent transfer of money. If earlier scammers lured rubles, now they have switched to cryptocurrencies.

The scheme begins with a phone call or instant messenger message that is disguised as a domestic situation in order to disorient the victim. For example, an attacker, posing as the person in charge of the house, reports an urgent replacement of the intercom and, under various pretexts, forces the person to provide the code from SMS. This is a key point that allows criminals to gain full control of the victim’s messenger account.

Using a stolen account, attackers send messages to the victim’s contacts on her behalf. The most common scenario is a request for help with the purchase of cryptocurrency or a direct request to borrow a large amount to transfer to a crypto wallet. The scammers explain this as an “urgent need” and promise to return the money in the near future. Having received a message from a person they know, many people automatically trust its content. They can start a correspondence and even recommend a contact for consultations.

To avoid detection, criminals actively resist verification attempts. When asked by friends to call, they respond that “they are very busy right now,” “at a meeting,” or “the connection is bad,” while insisting on urgency and the transfer in cryptocurrency.

“Fraudsters act with lightning speed: within a few minutes after gaining access to the account in the messenger, they block the possibility of restoring it and begin active communication with the victim’s contacts in order to try to steal money in a new way – through crypto. The only reliable way to check the authenticity of a non-standard request is to personally call a friend or relative back at a phone number you know or write in another messenger and clarify the situation. Cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible, and their anonymous nature makes the return of funds almost impossible,” comments Deputy Head of the Security Department – VTB Vice President Dmitry Sarantsev.

VTB reminds clients of simple but effective safety rules:

• Carefully read the contents of the SMS with the code and do not tell it to anyone, even if the caller introduces himself as an employee of some service and voices your personal information.
• Install two-factor authentication in all instant messengers and social networks.
• Any urgent and non-standard request to transfer money, especially to a crypto wallet, should be checked personally with the interlocutor.