During the war, pseudo-volunteer schemes and phishing mailings to obtain citizens' bank card data became popular.
The National Bank of Ukraine together with the State Special Communications and Cyber Police have developed instructions that will help recognize the schemes of scammers on the Internet, as well as provide or receive help online safely.
6 criminal scenarios that fraudsters use in war conditions have been published. And advice on countering these crimes is also provided.
- Possible crime scenario: an acquaintance asks to borrow money in a personal message in a social network messenger. It may be someone with whom you have not communicated for a long time.
What to do: contact the person through another channel (phone, mail, other messenger) and ask about the message. If the person did not send a message:
• tell that their account was hacked;
• advise to change the password to the messenger and enable two-factor authentication;
• ask to inform the Cyber Police and CERT-UA about the incident.
- Possible crime script: a message in an instant messenger or a post on social networks about the provision of financial assistance that anyone can receive. Money is offered allegedly on behalf of state, international institutions or banks. The message contains a link to a chatbot or site where you can learn more.
What to do:
• get information, especially about financial payments, only from official sources;
• do not click on dubious links;
• do not disclose confidential information to third parties (card data, login and passwords for online banking, etc.;
• if personal (personal) information is disclosed, contact the bank and block the card;
• in case of suspicion of fraudulent actions – immediately notify the law enforcement authorities.
- Possible crime scenario: notification of an evacuation flight with a subscription.
What to do:
• verify information about evacuation flights, humanitarian corridors, it is necessary only on official resources;
• if possible, choose post-payment for evacuation transportation;
• in case you have become a victim of fraud, fill out the form on the website of the cyber police https://ticket. suЬегролисе.gov.uа/.
- Possible crime scenario: sale of non-existent goods on the Internet by subscription.
What to do:
• buy and pay only on verified sites, in case of doubt, prefer payment after payment;
• for online shopping, open a virtual card and transfer to it only the amount necessary for payment;
• do not tell anyone the expiration date of the card, CVV and PIN code;
• in the case of a purchase on an ad platform, discuss the details of the deal only in the chat of this platform and do not go to third-party messengers;
• check the correctness of the name of the required site: one inconspicuous symbol in the address bar may mean that you have reached a phishing resource.
- Possible crime scenario: the pseudo-buyer asks for card details to pay for the product on the bulletin board and names the time of the transfer. At the specified time, the attacker's partner, under the guise of a bank security officer, calls and informs that a payment card must be activated in order to deposit money. He dictates to the victims the details of controlled accounts, passing them off as card activation codes.
What to do:
• do not share card details or data with third parties , which can be used to confirm payments;
• do not perform any card “verification” operations;
• in case of doubt, call the bank at the phone number indicated on the back of the card and clarify the information;
• if you have become a victim of a crime on the Internet, fill out the form on the cyber police website https://ticket.suЬегролисе.gov.uа/.
- Possible scenario of the crime: sending messages seemingly from official institutions about collecting funds for the support of the Armed Forces, etc.
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What to do:
• only transfer money through official foundations, charities or people you know personally or trust;
• do not follow dubious links;
• do not indicate your bank card data on third-party resources.
We remind you that the Cyber Police has exposed almost 500 people since the introduction of martial law, involved in online fraud during the war. Criminals constantly speculate on the topic of financial aid to Ukrainians who have suffered from the actions of the Russian Federation. Pseudo-volunteer schemes and phishing mailings to obtain citizens' bank card data have gained popularity.
