How to protect against fraud. How to protect yourself and your loved ones from telephone scammers

In this article, we have put together a number of tips that will help you protect yourself and avoid becoming a victim of scammers when shopping for clothes online. Some of these tips were compiled by us, and some were compiled by one of our experienced sellers, Olga, based on her more than six years of experience selling online.

Unfortunately, most types of fraud are completely simple and are based not so much on cunning schemes, but on our banal inattention and gullibility. You can come across these schemes on any platform for selling things, and they are not so diverse. We hope that our tips will help you avoid unpleasant situations when shopping online.

“My name is Olga, and I have been selling and buying clothes on the Internet for more than 6 years. And it all started once with a random purchase in a VKontakte group. I was never particularly embarrassed by buying second-hand things, I liked buying at ridiculous prices, and over time I almost forgot what regular stores were like. I bought more and more often and was glad that for relatively little money I was constantly wearing new clothes. At about the same speed as my wardrobe was updated, extra things accumulated. Then I started a page on social networks for my sales.

Currently selling 125 items in Shafa

Time passed, I successfully exchanged new for old, sold and earned myself positive reviews and a reputation. I spent quite a lot of time in my “store”, met different people, “walked” on the Internet, learned different stories. Soon I came across the group “Black List of Ukraine” and subscribed to its updates. Every day I read hundreds of posts about different options deceptions on the part of sellers - and the disappearance of pages, and how, instead of paid items in parcels, buyers received trays of eggs or completely unnecessary things.

I began to delve seriously into these matters and talked a lot with other girls who found themselves in unpleasant situations related to online deception. From my experience and the experience of all my friends, I eventually developed a number of rules and recommendations for those who do not want to become victims of fraud on the Internet.

How to protect yourself from scammers

If you are a seller

Shafa's advice

Unfortunately, not only sellers, but also potential buyers are dishonest and unscrupulous. Sometimes this is deliberate fraud, sometimes it is simply disrespect for other people’s time and basic human dishonesty. What kind of troubles can sellers of things encounter on the Internet and what they need to remember in order not to be deceived.

Fake checks and SMS about payment

The fraudster negotiates the purchase of the item, specifies the card number, and after some time sends you a photo of a receipt from the terminal about the transfer of money, or you receive an SMS on your phone about the money being credited to your account. The scammer reports that he paid the money and asks to send the purchase faster. Take your time! IN mandatory check the real account status. Here the calculation is based on the seller’s banal inattention and his faith in the decency of people.

How to protect yourself: be sure to check the real status of the account by everyone accessible ways: via Internet banking, Privat24 or by calling your bank.

Card fraud

The simplest option. Before you have time to place an ad, a potential buyer already calls you and is immediately ready to buy your item; sometimes, for the sake of decency, they may ask some question, but more often than not they don’t even bother to feign plausible interest. So, you are ready to buy the item with 100% prepayment with delivery to another city, you provide the card number. And after some time, you receive a call allegedly from an employee of your bank that you have received a payment for a certain amount, but it cannot be credited because... and then various false pretexts, using which scammers try to find out your card details from you in order withdraw money from her.

How to protect yourself: first, if possible, do not give out the phone number that is linked to your card in advertisements for a contact. Then it will be easier for you not to get confused and understand that the call from the bank is fake.

Remember that real bank employees will never ask you for additional information when they call you. Remember which card details are safe and secure to give to strangers, and which ones cannot be disclosed to strangers under any circumstances. More on this below.

The buyer does not come to collect the parcel

This is not deliberate fraud, but simply a matter of honoring your obligations. But in this situation, the seller may well end up with quite significant amounts of money. The buyer asks to send him the item cash on delivery via Nova Poshta, the seller agrees. After which the buyer simply does not come to collect his parcel. 5 days pass, the paid storage period begins. The buyer either simply disappears, or promises over the phone that literally tomorrow he will definitely pick up everything. After some time New mail informs that the parcel will be disposed of soon. And the seller is forced to return it back at his own expense.

So, in the “best” case, you will only spend money on shipping back and forth, and in the worst case, you will be forced to pay for paid storage. If the item is good and in demand, you will lose other potential buyers. The percentage of people who order frivolously and then “forget” about their orders is not so small. It is for this reason that many quite decent sellers do not agree to cash on delivery; they already have bad experience.

How to protect yourself: agree in advance with buyers on a small advance payment, which will compensate for at least part of the shipping of the item, reducing the cash on delivery by this amount. And warn that you will not wait until paid storage, but will simply return the parcel to yourself.

Security of your bank card on the Internet

Most fraudulent activities with cards occur due to the negligence of cardholders, at the moment when they themselves provide fraudsters with the secret data necessary to carry out transactions with the card.

If you are going to receive payment for your item on a card, for example, on a Privat card (probably the most popular card now among sellers and buyers), then the only information you need to provide to a potential buyer is the card number and your full name. The cardholder's name may be needed for verification purposes, in case you made a mistake in the card number.

Never, under any circumstances, to transfer money you may need: PIN code, card expiration date, CVV code (three-digit number on the back of the card), one-time security passwords that the bank sends you.

It is worth remembering that you will never, under any circumstances, be asked for additional information on your card if you received a real call from the bank. If they try to request the above data from you and ask about the balance in your account, then rest assured that you are dealing with scammers.

There is no situation where in order to receive payment from a customer you need to have a non-zero balance on your card or you have to go to an ATM to “process” a payment to you from someone else. If such questions and suggestions arise during communication with the buyer, it is guaranteed to be a scammer.

Ideally, for any purchases or sales on the Internet, it is best to have a separate card on which you do not store significant amounts. Disable on this map credit limit and install daily limit write-offs. Then, even if you are careless, scammers will not be able to deprive you of a significant amount of money.

If you are a buyer

Olga's advice

Pay attention to the seller's page

A good seller completely fills out his entire page and writes a lot of explanatory text. This seller has a lot of friends and subscribers, a lot of photos.

Pay attention to the photographs themselves. Most often, the seller has his own “style”: he photographs all the things in one place, on one person, signs them, makes collages. All this takes quite a bit of time; a scammer will not do this.

Feel free to ask questions

Feel free to ask for additional photos and different measurements of the item. If the seller does not have this item, he will not be able to take additional photos.

Read reviews carefully

I had a situation when a girl approached me and asked me to exchange fictitious positive reviews. I refused her. And a month later there were a lot of complaints about her in the Black List community. Many did not understand how this could happen. After all, there were more than 50-60 positive feedback. It was only after a detailed study that we discovered that 90% of reviews were written at intervals of 5-20 minutes. And when you went to the page of the person who left the review, reviews about the fraudulent seller were visible.

If the seller has a lot of reviews, but something still confuses you, do not hesitate to write to the person who left the review; it is advisable to choose the first one you come across and ask about real impressions of the transaction.

Avoid custom purchases or questionable joint purchases

Be careful if the seller does not have reviews from real buyers, if there are few photos, if the seller does not provide complete information, and, of course, if the price is too low.

Remember free cheese only in a mousetrap. Even if the amount is small, you will remain disappointed with the transaction and distrust of other sellers for a long time.

Please send your order by cash on delivery

Especially if the item costs more than 3 kopecks. Agree with the seller on a minimum advance payment equal to the cost of delivery, so that you are confident of receiving the goods, and the seller is sure that if you do not pick up the parcel, he will not have to pay the cost of transportation. Honest sellers often do not want to send cash on delivery only for this reason.

Do not transfer money to accounts such as Yandex-money or Webmoney

This is electronic money, here you will never know the name of the person in whose name such accounts are registered. Please ask for the recipient's full name along with the card account. Firstly, if there is an error in the numbers, you can always check the match with the owner's name.

Ask for a phone number, you can call and make sure that the seller is “live”. Sometimes a conversation can become a decisive point - to dispel your suspicions or, conversely, confirm them.

Don't throw away payment documents

Wait for confirmation of receipt of money. Payment documents will also be useful to you if a showdown begins.

Blacklists of scammers

Another tip from us. You have received the card details and the name of the seller and are ready to make a full prepayment. Take your time! Now you need to spend another half hour of your time on a little research, the desired thing will not go away from you during this time, you can save money and nerves.

Don’t be lazy to enter the card number, phone number and person’s name in Google search. Unfortunately, due to the imperfections of the legislative and banking system, and the reluctance of our people to once again contact law enforcement agencies, fraudsters can operate with the same card for quite a long time. Reports of cases of fraud indicating the data of unscrupulous sellers are kept in many places on Ukrnet, and are quite easily found by search. Of course, if you haven’t found your seller’s details, this is not a 100% guarantee of his honesty, but if you have found it, it’s better that this happens before you “get” the money.

Subscribe to a thematic group on VKontakte, for example, the group “

Some tips may seem elementary to you, but this is where safety begins.

Methods of card fraud

The imagination of criminals is limitless. Literally every year new, more sophisticated methods appear. Let's look at the main ones.

Fraud with bank cards is called carding.

Let's start with the "classics". You have come to withdraw money from an ATM. Hurry up, literally enter your PIN code on the run, while chatting on the phone. You didn’t even look at the inconspicuous guy in a baseball cap and dark glasses looking over your shoulder. But he watched you very carefully. He spied and remembered the numbers you entered. Next is elementary gop-stop- and goodbye, money.

Also, in the chaos, you may not be able to see that in front of you is not a real ATM, but a fake one. After all, the device is exactly like the real thing. Stickers, instructions - everything is as it should be. You insert the card, enter the PIN code, and the screen displays: “The device is faulty,” “A system error has occurred,” “Insufficient funds,” or something like that. Well, it happens. You go to look for another ATM. But before you find it, scammers will empty your account. After all, with the help phantom ATM they have already considered all the necessary data about your card.

Often imitated ATM malfunction. For example, you return home late at night and decide to cash your paycheck on the way. We inserted the card, entered the PIN code, the amount - everything goes fine. The card reader gave the card, but the tray where the money should appear does not open. Broke? Maybe! It’s dark around, you need to call the bank and figure out what happened. You walked literally ten meters away, and the nimble thieves had already peeled off the tape and taken your money. Yes, yes, the bills were not released by simple adhesive tape.

Another technique is called "Lebanese loop". This is when a lasso made of photographic film is inserted into the card reader. If you get caught in it, you won't be able to pull out the card. As a rule, there is an “assistant” right there: “Yesterday my ATM ate my card in exactly the same way, I entered this combination and PIN code, and everything worked.” You try, fail and go to the bank for help. At this time, the Good Samaritan takes the card and goes to empty it. He knows the PIN code. You yourself just introduced it openly. Remember?

However, the ATM may be real and even working. This is not a problem if the attackers have skimmer. This is a device for reading information encoded on the magnetic stripe of a card. Physically, the skimmer is an overhead block attached to the card reader, while it looks like part of the ATM structure.

On the left - an ATM without a skimmer, on the right - with a skimmer

Using a transmitter, scammers receive information from the skimmer and make fake cards. They will use the skimmed card, but the money will be debited from the original account. Hence the name of the method - skimming, from the English “skim off the cream”.

How do they find out the PIN? In addition to the skimmer, they have other devices. For example, overlay keyboard. It completely imitates the real thing, but at the same time remembers the key combinations you type.

Keyboard overlay

An alternative is a miniature camera aimed at the keyboard and disguised as a box with advertising brochures.

Hidden video camera

A type of skimming - shimming. Instead of bulky overlays, a thin, elegant board is used, which is inserted through the card reader directly into the ATM. Then the scheme is the same as for skimming. But the degree of danger is higher: it is almost impossible to discern that there is a “bug” in the ATM. The consolation, however, is that making a shim is quite difficult - its thickness should not exceed 0.1 mm. Almost nanotechnology. :)

Phishing- a common method of Internet fraud. Most of you don't need to explain what it is. Perhaps someone even received a “letter from the bank” asking them to follow the link and clarify the details. Moreover, the phishing page looked like a real one, the same colors, fonts, logos, with the exception of an annoying “typo” in the address bar.

Recently, a subtype of phishing has become increasingly widespread - vishing. Simply put, divorce by phone. Fraudsters simulate a call from an automated informer. A scary robotic voice tells you that your card is blocked, or has been attacked by hackers, or you urgently need to pay off a loan debt. For details call this number. You call, and the polite “operator” asks you to “check” the card number, its expiration date, verification code... As soon as you have dictated the last digit, you can say goodbye to your money. By the time you come to your senses, they will already be spent in some online store.

By the way, due to the fact that to use a card it is not necessary to have it physically, fraudsters are increasingly using methods social engineering. So I was almost deceived.

I sold furniture. I posted an ad with photos on a well-known website. I indicated a number through which no authentication passes through. Soon the man called. He introduced himself as Vasily, an employee of a company that rents out apartments for daily rent. I told him that they liked my sofa - they took it without looking! The money will be transferred to my card right now. No problem. I often buy on the Internet, for this purpose I have a special card. There was nothing to write off from it then, but please replenish it. But one number was not enough for the caller - the interlocutor asked for another validity period and CVV2. I didn’t name it, but Vasily was offended. He told me who I was and where I needed to go, and hung up.

Most cards are now linked to a phone number in order to confirm transactions or, for example, logging into online banking using SMS messages. There are a lot of things that attackers do to get hold of the required SIM card: they steal phones, intercept SMS messages, make duplicate SIM cards, and so on.

Safety rules when using cards

Having issued a debit or credit card at the bank, we receive an agreement banking services and an envelope with a PIN code. It is a pity that in addition to this set they do not include a leaflet with basic safety rules for card holders. It should include the following recommendations.

• If possible, make yourself a hybrid card - with a chip and a magnetic stripe (unfortunately, cards with only a chip are almost never used in Russia). Such a card is better protected from hacking and counterfeiting through skimming.
• Learn your PIN by heart. If there is no hope for memory, write it down on a piece of paper, but store it separately from the card.
• Never, under any circumstances, disclose to third parties the PIN code and CVV2 code of the card, as well as its expiration date and to whom it is registered. No bank will ask you for these details. And to credit funds to your account, all you need is the 16-digit number indicated on the front of the card.
• Don't use so-called salary cards for payments in stores and payments for online purchases. It is better to transfer money from a card account to a personal account or set daily limits for all types of transactions performed.
• Choose ATMs located inside bank offices or in secure locations equipped with video surveillance systems.
• Do not use suspicious ATM models. And before inserting the card into the terminal, carefully inspect it. Is there anything suspicious on the keyboard or card reader? Is there a strange advertising tray hanging nearby?
• Feel free to cover the keyboard with your hand and ask particularly curious comrades in line to step aside. If problems arise, do not use the advice of “random assistants” - without leaving anywhere, immediately call the bank and block the card.
• If you have lost your card, or if you have reason to believe that third parties have learned its details, immediately contact the bank and block it.

The easiest way is to call. If you have the card in your hands, the support number can be seen on the back of it. As a rule, contact centers operate around the clock. If the card is left in the ATM and you do not know the phone number of your bank, call the company that maintains the ATM. The number must be indicated on the terminal.

In addition, find out about the possibility and conditions of card insurance at your bank. Some credit institutions have special programs protecting clients from fraudsters and compensating them for damages.

Safety rules when using banking

You can take advantage of a large package of services without leaving your home. For example, pay for something or transfer money to your own or someone else’s account.

Banking - remote banking services.

There are Internet and SMS banking. The first allows you to carry out transactions through personal account the client on the bank’s website or through an application, and the second involves informing about transactions via SMS messages.

To use banking without the risk of losing money, you must follow the following basic precautions.

• Do not log into the Internet bank from other people's computers or from public unsecured networks. If this does happen, after completing the session, click “Exit” and clear the cache.
• On personal computer install an antivirus and update it promptly. Use modern versions of your browser and email programs.
• Do not download files obtained from unverified sources, do not follow unreliable links. Do not open suspicious emails and block their sender immediately.
• Unnecessarily, do not enter any of your personal data other than your login and password.
• Check the address bar. A secure HTTPS connection must be used. And the slightest discrepancy with the bank’s domain almost certainly means that you are on a phishing site.
• Create a complex password to enter your personal account, and also use one-time passwords required by banks to confirm actions in your personal account.

Remember! Banks do not send messages about blocking cards, and in telephone conversations they do not ask for confidential information and codes associated with customer cards.

To protect the SIM card to which the card is linked, promptly notify the bank when receiving suspicious messages and under no circumstances call the numbers indicated in them. Inform the bank if you have changed your number or lost your SIM card. Set a password on your phone and do not remove the block from the screen if someone else is watching your actions. And if the SIM card is registered to you personally, then prohibit its replacement by proxy.

What to do if fraudsters have written off money from your card

Disputes between customers and banks are not uncommon. The former, having learned about the unauthorized debiting of funds from their accounts, ask for their hard-earned money to be returned, while the latter often throw up their hands: “You yourself told the scammers everything.”

Came into force in 2011 Federal law No. 161 “On the national payment system”, designed to streamline and change for the better the practice of providing payment services. In particular, he established legal basis the entire payment system as a whole and adjusted the rules for non-cash payments, as well as the issue and use of electronic money.

In 2014, Article 9 of this law came into force. The norm protects bank card users from fraud. The law establishes the presumption of innocence of clients. The bank is obliged to reimburse amounts transferred from the client’s account as a result of an operation not authorized by it, unless it is proven that the client himself violated the procedure for using an electronic payment instrument.

From September 26, 2018, banks will be legally able to block customer cards if they suspect that fraudsters are transferring money from them. After blocking, the bank must inform the account owner about this, and he will have to either confirm the operation or report the attempted theft.

In other words, the law differentiates the responsibility of the bank and the client.

1. Did the bank inform the client about the unauthorized transaction? If not, the responsibility lies entirely with the bank. If reported, move on to point No. 2.
2. Did the client inform the bank no later than the next business day after notification from the bank that this transaction was carried out without his (the client’s) consent? If not, the responsibility lies with the client. If you have informed us, move on to point No. 3.
3. The bank was able to prove that the client violated the procedure for using electronic cash? If yes, the responsibility lies with the client. If not, the responsibility lies entirely with the bank and it is obliged to reimburse the client the entire amount of the disputed transaction.

A mandatory condition for refunding unauthorized funds is to notify the bank about the use of the card without the consent of its holder.

You need to inform the bank that the card is being used by someone else. no later than one day, following the day on which the client discovered the fraud.

Meeting this deadline is very important. If you're late, you can't count on a refund.

In addition, the client must have proof of the notification in his hands. We are talking about a second copy of an application to the bank with a note of acceptance made by an authorized employee, or a written notification of sending a valuable registered letter to the bank’s address with a list of attachments.

Contacting the bank does not cancel or replace contacting law enforcement agencies.

Conclusions

So, short algorithm actions in case of illegal debiting of funds from a bank card are as follows:

1. Don't panic, call the bank and block the card. Plus, we ask the operator to name the account balance and the last transactions made.
2. Within 24 hours we run to the bank and write an application. Be sure to endorse your copy of the application from an authorized bank employee.
3. If employees credit institution interfere with this in any way and refuse to accept the application (forms have run out, technical break, etc.), we contact the prosecutor's office.
4. We are writing a statement to the police. Especially if you are faced with robbery or robbery.
5. We are waiting for a refund.

If the bank refuses to refund funds written off from the card, citing, for example, a violation of the procedure for using electronic funds, you can defend your rights in court.

Fraudsters are becoming more creative, but people remain gullible. Every year new types of fraud appear. Criminals keep pace with progress and invent new ways to deceive citizens.

The most common fraudulent schemes today are:

– Release of relatives allegedly detained by law enforcement agencies from criminal or administrative liability. They call a person and, after making sure that he picks up the phone, old man, they say that one of his loved ones was in trouble (most often he committed an accident or, as a courier, handed over a certain bag, which, as it turned out, contained drugs). To make it more believable, the phone handset was handed over to another person, supposedly a law enforcement officer, who begins to intimidate the subscriber criminal liability for a relative, in terms of legal acts. To solve the problem, money is urgently needed. They can be sent to bank card or give it to a stranger who is about to arrive. The attackers use psychological pressure, forcing them to talk to them until the “messenger” arrives. In this case, you need to first call your loved one. If he does not answer, ask your interlocutor simple questions: his last name, first name, patronymic, department, rank, position. It is also worth asking to talk to the “detainee” and at the same time calling the police by calling “102”.

– Under the guise of social service workers. A seemingly decent man or woman approaches older people on the street and, introducing themselves as social service workers, offers help. And here there are several options for the development of events. An imaginary social worker can take the victim home, telling him that she is entitled to help in the form of money or food. But, unfortunately, the funds are in foreign currency, and they must be exchanged or given change. Or in order for funds to be credited you must pay tax collection. Thus, the attackers establish where the victim stores his money, and while the latter runs around to neighbors and banks, exchanging them, they take everything from her. The “social worker” also informs about a trip to a sanatorium, or social repairs, etc., which the pensioner is entitled to, but in order to receive these services, an advance payment is required and precisely on the day of the “social worker’s” visit. After receiving money from the victim, the attackers hide.

– Sale of medications, dietary supplements for the treatment of allegedly identified serious diseases. Attackers call the victim’s phone on behalf of the attending physician and report bad medical tests, forcing individuals to buy “miracle drugs” that can cure any disease. Gullible citizens transfer money to the courier for payment under the guise of medicines or devices that do not provide any benefit to the body.

– Assistance to citizens of foreign countries in receiving money transfers from abroad. A man or woman, or a group of people, approaches older people on the street and introduces himself as citizens foreign country, asking for help in the form of the possibility of receiving money transfer to the pensioner's bank account, which, according to the perpetrators, should not contain any funds. Citizens, under the influence of scammers, are sent to financial institutions and withdraw all funds deposited on bank deposit. After receiving the money, the scammers, under various pretexts, confiscate the entire amount from the victim, or commit open theft, in some cases, using physical force.

– If social workers, gas service inspectors, mechanics, electricians or representatives of the housing maintenance office come to you without calling, this is a reason to be wary! You don't know the person by sight, so check his documents or ask what organization he works for. Before opening the door to a stranger, call the organization he named and find out whether they sent a specialist to you. A social worker cannot come to an elderly person without first submitting an application to home care institutions. The pensioner is informed who will visit him and when, so there is no need to open the door to everyone who identified themselves as a social worker!

– Unfamiliar official-looking people with a folder or papers in their hands introduce themselves as government officials or museum workers and, against a signature, ostensibly for an exhibition or under another pretext, ask to give them your orders, military medals, jacket or award weapons. Do not believe it and under no circumstances give away orders, medals and other valuables!

– SMS fraud. Typical messages for such cases: “Mom, you’ve run out of money, urgently deposit it on this number” or “You have become a participant in the lottery / You have won a prize, you need to pay tax for it.”

You are notified of a large cash or in-kind win via SMS and are asked to send an SMS message or call the specified number to receive a prize.

– Another type of fraud is fortune telling, removing damage. The attackers, mostly Roma people, act as a group. One of the scammers gains confidence in the victim, says that he has “damage” or some other disease and urgent measures must be taken to remove and treat it. This requires money, but only as “props”; after the ceremony, it will be returned. Criminals include methods of persuasion. If a person is suspicious and trusting, then he agrees.

Employees of the Internal Affairs Directorate for the Western District are constantly working to prevent fraud, which is carried out in several areas. District police officers go around to citizens and provide information about types of fraud and ways to protect themselves from them. Preventive leaflets are placed in the entrances of houses and distributed to citizens on the streets. Police officers use the media to warn citizens about fraudulent activities and give recommendations on how to avoid becoming victims of criminals.

The victims are mainly elderly people. But not only pensioners, but also the younger generation are not immune from scammers. The most common methods of deceiving this category of the population are frauds committed via the Internet. This is hacking an account on social networks and sending messages to the user’s friends on his behalf with a request to transfer money. Recently, there has been an increase in cases of deception of citizens who either post advertisements for sale on the Internet, or, having seen an advertisement on some website, want to purchase this or that product. Under the pretext of buying and selling, criminals come up with various ways to take money, and citizens themselves transfer it to the scammers’ account. Attackers find private advertisements online for the sale of any goods, contact the seller, make an advance payment for the product, and then allegedly change their mind about purchasing it and ask to return the money paid. Along with the prepayment, all of the merchant’s funds disappear from the merchant’s card.

Recently, more technically complex methods have appeared, for example, the introduction of virus programs into the operating systems of mobile devices. This is the most difficult type of fraud to detect. His scheme is very complex. Getting into the gadget on which “ Mobile bank", viruses redirect money from the owner's bank card to the accounts of attackers. The first sign that fraudulent actions are being committed against you is that Mobile Bank stops working.

The most common types of fraud are usually committed by well-organized groups. In them, roles are clearly distributed between the participants, they act according to pre-developed scenarios. Lone criminals, as a rule, carry out simple frauds or, on the contrary, the least common ones. Criminals also take advantage of the fact that they are located at some distance, even in another region.

First of all, don't panic. There is no need to rush and make rash decisions. A universal way to protect yourself from scammers is a simple phone call. Call your relatives or friends on whose behalf they are asking you for money. Call the company that supposedly sent a representative to your home. Call the police if you feel suspicious about people trying to enter your home under various pretexts. Never tell anyone your bank card details. It's the same as giving your wallet into the wrong hands. It must be remembered that no bank works with clients remotely. Bank employees perform any actions with the card only when the card holder personally contacts the bank.

Regarding fraud disguised as authorities social protection, then remember that no one just delivers compensation to people’s homes. A citizen can receive any payments only after personally contacting one or another institution and writing a corresponding application.

Be always vigilant and attentive.

Press service of the Internal Affairs Directorate for the Joint-Stock Company

A plastic bank card is a universal means of payment. It provides 24/7 access to the money contained in your current account. Plastic cards can be debit and credit. In the article we'll talk about how to protect yourself from fraud.

More about cards

The plastic card itself does not contain funds. All of them are on the owner's account. A piece of plastic is just a means of accessing this money.

On outside The card contains the owner's details, which are necessary for the bank to identify him and make a decision on carrying out the requested operations. To use the card, it is not necessary to be physically present. It will be enough to provide the details.

Ways to access cards

Credit card fraud can happen in one of two ways.

1. Using a stolen or counterfeit card, goods are purchased for subsequent resale.

2. Using various tricks, attackers gain access to the ATM, account details and PIN code.

An ATM or ATM (automated telling (teller) machine) was created to simplify operations for issuing, receiving, transferring cash, paying for services and others. financial transactions, without employee participation credit organization. Moreover, you can use these services at any time of the day. Simplicity, convenience and direct access to cash have made ATMs in demand and popular among the population, and, consequently, among criminals.

Fraud with bank cards occurs through hacker attacks aimed at ATMs. This can also be done by copying information from the magnetic stripe of the card, setting traps for banknotes, which leads to the disappearance of money or the issuance of not the entire requested amount from the ATM.

A lost or stolen plastic card that falls into the hands of fraudsters may threaten its owner with the debiting of all funds in the account. The same applies to a counterfeit bank card, which is made in the name of a specific person in whose account there are funds.

Types of card fraud

Today, it is advisable for every citizen to become familiar with this information. Plastic card fraud includes many various types tricks and deception.

Counterfeiting – making plastic with identical details of a real card real owner. This trick allows you to perform any operation. To rid itself of counterfeits, the bank installs protection against the selection of details. The development of methods for stealing money from cards has made this method less profitable. Now more simple option is theft of details.

Phishing is a method of theft through which scammers in various ways communications (telephone, email, etc.) contact the cardholder on behalf of the bank. Their goal is to find out the owner’s confidential data. Phone phishing is a very common method of theft. So the cardholder receives a call, most often a message with information that a payment has been made from the account, the debt needs to be repaid, the card has been blocked, etc. The call is carried out automatically and is announced in an electronic voice with frightening information, without specifying information about financial institution, from which the message comes. After which, for additional information you will need to contact the operator. The same text is indicated in SMS messages and email. During a call to the specified number, the operator tries to find out confidential information, which will subsequently allow criminals to devastate plastic cards. Skimming fraud allows you to copy data using a special device installed on an ATM.

Theft of card details from the servers of online stores, which are obliged not to save data about their owner. But this is often not observed. What scammers successfully use.

Sometimes unscrupulous bank employees themselves provide card information to criminals. Or, thanks to the negligence of staff, this information becomes the property of attackers.

Using special equipment, fraudsters hack the card along with the PIN code while using an ATM using special devices (micro cameras, overhead keyboards, card readers). Such equipment reads the details and entered passwords.

The use of counterfeit ATMs also allows plastic cards to be emptied. Fraud is carried out using the Lebanese Loop method. This option allows criminals to take possession of someone else's card. To do this, scammers place a piece of photographic film in the slot of the reader, which prevents the card from coming out of the slot after the operation is completed. There are criminals nearby offering to enter a PIN code, assuring that after this action the card will come out. After unsuccessful attempts, the scammers convince the owner to contact the bank the next day, when collectors and engineers will be working, and until then nothing will happen. You can safely leave the card. When the owner leaves the ATM, the scammers remove the film and card. They withdraw all funds.

Fraud with bank cards also occurs through a CNP transaction, that is, an operation performed on the Internet based on the received details. The owner himself and his bank account are not involved.

Carrying out transactions using stolen or lost cards, which occurs in the period of time between these events and the blocking of the plastic. Also, many forgetful people write down their PIN code on the card itself, on some piece of paper or in a notepad. If a bag with a wallet is stolen or lost, fraudsters become the owners of not only all the contents, but also money from the personal account.

Acquiring is a method in which the slip is repeated. Its contents can also be changed. To do this, several slips or card prints are made on the electronic terminal on the imprinter. This is necessary in order to be able to change the transaction amount or create new payment documents after the client signs the slip.

Returning a purchase threatens the owner of the bank card to go into the red. To do this, a fraudster, hacker or employee of the retail establishment where the client made a purchase carries out a refund operation, which increases the card balance. The attacker then uses the credited funds. The merchant is recalling the return. After this, the client remains in the red.

What to do when you notice the first signs of fraud?

Fraud using payment cards is very common. Any owner of a plastic device can become its victim. Therefore, at the first suspicion, you must immediately block the card. And at the bank you can write a statement of disagreement with the operation performed, indicating the reason, if this happened without your knowledge.

Fraud with Sberbank cards

Plastic devices of this institution are very often subject to various attacks by scammers. The most common methods of theft are SMS messages with the text that the card is blocked, and to resume operation you need to call the specified number. Thousands of Sberbank card users can receive such text notifications. Do not forget that all messages sent by Sberbank come from one number. If the notification is from another addressee, these are criminals.

PrivatBank

Fraud with PrivatBank cards is most often carried out using a skimmer. To prevent attackers from seeing the numbers through a pre-installed camera when entering your PIN code, you must cover the combination being dialed with your palm.

Another method is “emergency money”, which allows scammers to find out the received code in an SMS message to the card owner, which the account owner himself (not suspecting a trick) dictates to them over the phone. This is a common case when purchasing from online stores.

Fraud with Kukuruza cards

Criminals often use another interesting method of stealing money, which involves using the Corn card. The fraud occurs by creating an online store, supposedly from Euroset, in which you can make a purchase much cheaper than in the store itself. Plus bonuses are awarded. To make a purchase, the consultant needs to dictate his full name, date of birth, card barcode, secret word received in a text message, that is, those data that under no circumstances should be spoken. After this, money is debited from the card account, and the account holder is left without a purchase.

Who will return the stolen money?

The return of funds stolen by fraudsters occurs after an investigation, which should establish certain facts.

1. Wasn’t it the owner himself who spent his savings and then decided to return them?

2. ATM or bank error?

3. Or is this the work of scammers?

If it is determined that the debiting of money was not due to the fault of the card owner, then the stolen amount will be reimbursed to him. The issuer is obliged to return it, which is usually in no hurry to do so. The burden of reimbursement falls on the merchant or acquirer. While participants figure out who should return the losses and who is to blame, the card owner can wait a very long time for his funds. In order not to delay the reimbursement, the regulatory body is the payment system, which creates uniform rules for all participants, terms and behavior algorithm.

Account theft investigation process

Fraud with credit cards, as well as with debit plastic devices, occurs using the same methods. This means that the investigation to determine who is responsible for the theft occurs according to a single pattern.

First, the acquirer (the owner of the ATM) presents the debited amount, which the holder disputes. The issuer (bank) requires the acquirer to provide documents. They must confirm the legality of the funds being written off. Thirty days are allotted for this. For deadline The acquirer provides the requested documents, and the account owner also becomes familiar with them. If the client agrees and confirms the fact of the operation, then the issue is considered resolved and the investigation is terminated. If the acquirer provided documents drawn up with violations or neglected the deadlines, then the amount is debited from his account in favor of the bank (issuer), after which the fact of the withdrawal is justified and the reason for the legality is indicated. On at this stage money is not returned to the owner. After debiting, within forty-five days, if there is no action on the part of the acquirer, the stolen amount is credited to the account of the payment card owner.

There are situations when the ATM owner did not properly respond to the issuer’s request to provide documents, because he believes that neither he nor outlet are not guilty of committing theft, therefore, are not required to bear responsibility for it. In this case, the investigation is carried out in a different way.

An amount similar to the stolen funds is debited from the issuer's account by the acquirer. This is documented. After which the issuer must prove its innocence to the acquirer. If this fails, the ATM owner returns the stolen amount to the cardholder.

There are cases when the acquirer’s arguments turn out to be unconvincing or do not fully prove his case. In such situations, responsibility for the theft falls on several parties to the process, and the investigation occurs through pre-arbitration settlement. To do this, the issuer submits a request for review of the case within sixty days from the date of the chargeback. In the process, the acquirer and the issuer act, who prove their case by presenting arguments and evidence. If the parties reach an agreement, the damages are paid equally; if not, the case is referred to the arbitration committee. It represents a commission on payment system. The committee considers all the arguments and evidence of the parties and then makes a conclusion. The decision of the arbitration committee is binding. If the parties do not agree with the decision, an appeal is filed, but the amount of theft in this case must be at least five thousand dollars.

ATM Fraud Investigation Process

Payment card fraud involving ATM transactions goes through different stages of investigation. If the ATM issuer transmits the request to the acquirer, who must check the possibility of technical failures in servicing a particular account or the presence of incorrect distribution of notes. This situation is not fraud.

If a fraudulent transaction is carried out using an ATM, for example, cash withdrawal, one issuer or together with the acquirer takes part in the investigation. The cardholder's guilt and points of compromise are being determined. For most such cases, the issuer is responsible, so he anticipates such risks in order to compensate the cardholder for the theft with compensation from the insurance company.

Banks' fight against fraud

Bank card fraud has led to many institutions having to fight criminals. But they do not always cope with this successfully.

For example, to combat skimming, the protection of the SRK+ technology from the TMD Security company is most often used. This company is a leader among creators of ATM skimming protection. The success of the technology is explained by the fact that special protection installed from the inside, suitable for all types of ATM and easy to install.

The transition of ATMs to Microsoft Windows operating systems, an elementary Intel base using TCP/IP protocols, on the contrary, significantly increases the risk of attacks. For this purpose, scammers conduct targeted attacks.

Nowadays, criminals are increasingly resorting to various programs to gain access to payment cards. They are entered into ATMs. After which the program itself will collect all necessary information about operations. Such an ATM is no different from a normal ATM. That's why to an ordinary person it is impossible to recognize it.

Bank card fraud can be prevented by installing special means security on ATM. They consist of an alarm on the doors of the service area and a program that provides information security.

How to protect yourself from scammers?

Fraud with credit cards or debit plastic devices - is now a very common occurrence. Therefore, measures must be taken to minimize the risk of theft financial resources. To do this, you must follow the following rules.

1. Do not tell anyone your PIN code, do not write it down on a card, in a notepad, etc.

2. Do not transfer your card to another person.

3. Make purchases in trusted stores.

4. Cover the keyboard with your hand while entering your personal code.

5. Do not provide card details to imaginary bank employees.

6. Do not tell the password received in a message to your phone.

7. In case of loss or loss of the card, you must have it in mobile phone number by which she can be immediately blocked.

Currently, new types of fraud with bank cards and methods of protection against theft are being invented. Therefore, in addition to the precautions provided by the issuer, merchant or acquirer, you must comply with all security requirements yourself.

Logging into the Internet, of course, starts with a device - most often it is either a desktop computer/laptop or a smartphone. The concept of a “personal computer” appeared a long time ago, but for many people the computer has not yet become personal. For example, home computer The whole family often uses it under the same account - this is not only unsafe, but also inconvenient. It’s unsafe because your child’s classmates will also use a computer without a password, wanting to “have fun” when they realize that they have access to all the names and passwords on the sites you are familiar with. Sometimes there may not be any malicious intent - a child, spouse, acquaintance, anyone can accidentally launch a virus or Trojan with fatal consequences for the system, or simply buy something by accident for a round sum on the Internet, because stores practice “one-click” purchases. , A bank cards, often already ready and tied for ease of payment.

It is much safer and more convenient for each computer user to create their own account with their own password, and for guests to leave the same guest account with which they can use the computer, but nothing radical can be changed in it, which means no harm can be done.

Then, by the way, there will be no struggle over what background to leave on the desktop, what icons to place on it, how to set up different programs - everyone will be able to freely change the design to suit themselves. Also, all problems with the passage and control settings in games, inputs/exits from messengers and sites common to the whole family, etc. will be instantly resolved.

And yes. When you leave your computer, even for a minute, be sure to block it. Especially if you work in a large organization. Again, the pest does not necessarily have malicious intent, although this option should not be completely ruled out.

2. Smartphone - also with a password

This also applies to a smartphone. Yes, the smartphone has only one user, but everything else is correct - be sure to set the PIN code to unlock it. Better yet, buy a smartphone only with a fingerprint scanner or a technology that replaces it like Face ID (not every face unlock works as well, accurately and quickly as Face ID in the iPhone, so we mention it as an example). Today, even smartphones costing 10-12 thousand rubles have a fingerprint scanner.

A fingerprint scanner (or technology that replaces it) is a must-have feature for a modern smartphone

3. Two-factor authentication

Surely almost all online services have already fed you up with coercion on the topic of two-factor authentication, but believe me, this is not an empty matter. At a minimum, it makes sense to set up a confirmation via phone number to log in to your e-mail, which will be your lifesaver for recovering passwords and accounts on social networks and other sites. If your email is hacked, you will lose a lot, so you need to pay special attention to protecting your email.

This is what the Google login confirmation looks like when setting up two-factor authentication. As you can see, everything is simple, without registration and SMS.

By the way, in the case of Google, two-factor authentication does not necessarily mean sending SMS - this can also be a security hole. Just when you try to log into your account (entering your name and password), a question is sent to your smartphone connected to Google: “Are you sure you’re hacking the Internet?” - and you manually confirm the entry. Well, or you don’t confirm it, if you haven’t tried to log into your account on a new computer/mobile phone. And the smartphone, let us remind you, is protected by fingerprint unlocking.

4. Separate or temporary mail for dubious sites

It’s even better to come up with a separate mailbox for various temporary or “junk” Internet sites and services. Another plus here is that your mail will be free from unnecessary advertising and unnecessary notifications (yes, you can turn them off, but sometimes it’s difficult or you just don’t have time to tinker with the settings social network, which sends them out).

Your mailbox will save you from spam and unnecessary headaches for 10 minutes

And for some temporary registrations (to download one file or read something and forget about the site with intrusive registration forever), it is best to use services like “10 minute mail”, which allow you to create a temporary email address for literally 10 minutes. To do this, you don’t have to set up email clients - such services make it easy to read incoming letters, which often contain a link to confirm your email on “one-time” sites.

5. Control mobile app permissions

When installing an application, especially on Android, always carefully read what permissions it asks for. In modern iOS and Android operating systems, all permissions are controlled by the user, except that for pre-installed applications the manufacturer can allow almost everything, but Google is trying to fight this too.

Always check application permissions when downloading and launching them. Some permissions, by the way, can be safely disabled - and the application will still work fine.

If, say, a photo editor or a “three in a row” puzzle you are installing suddenly wants access to SMS, this is suspicious. At a minimum, you can subscribe to spam without noticing, at maximum... Let's say, anything is possible. Don't forget that to confirm banking operations Often a code is sent via SMS that allows you to withdraw money from your card, or even log into online banking and gain full access to your account. Do you really want the first toy you see in the app store to have the right to spy confirmation codes for money transfers or purchases of large amounts?

By the way, there are suspicious applications on the computer from under account It’s also better not to run the administrator.

6. Avoid public Wi-Fi networks

It’s clear that gigabytes are included in the tariff mobile operator tend to run out, but there are still no cheap unlimited games. But it is better to try not to use public Wi-Fi networks at all, and if you still have to, it is advisable to do this through VPN services (connection through an intermediate point in a reliable application), the bonus function of which is to encrypt all traffic. Network security specialists have performed this trick more than once (yes, we ourselves have seen it with our own eyes) when a random onlooker who connects to public Wi-Fi intercepts and steals a profile, for example, on VKontakte. Mobile Internet today it is fast and cheap enough to be sufficient for most tasks. And VPN, no matter how scary this word may sound for inexperienced users, is not difficult to connect and configure.

It is better not to use public Wi-Fi access points at all.

By the way, some employers provide employees with access to a corporate VPN, while others even require that all work issues be resolved exclusively through this secure channel.

7. Unique passwords for everything

The golden rule is that you should have a different password on each site. Even if it differs by one letter or number, this will significantly reduce the possibility of hacking. If you have the same password everywhere, once an attacker finds it out, he has the “keys” to everything that concerns you on the Internet. That is, you won’t even be able, for example, to recover your VK or Facebook password without email if your email was also hacked.

Many people recommend using password managers, but in our opinion, you should also be wary of them. By at least, to those that are installed externally and are not part of the system, like Keychain in iOS/macOS.

The most logical and easiest way to come up with different passwords every time and not forget them is to come up not with the passwords themselves, but with the logic of how to create them. Let your passwords somehow depend on the name or address of the site. For example, odd letters of the site address plus some kind of constant (the date of birth of your favorite artist or, even better, a hated university teacher - so that no one can easily find out this date from you by deception). Only you know this dependence, and even if an attacker somehow finds out one of your passwords, without knowing the principle by which you change passwords for different sites, he will not be able to access other services, and you, even if you forget your passwords, can easily remember.

8. Enable features like "Find Me"

Today, in iOS and Android (and also Windows and macOS), you can enable the remote search function for any device. Using another smartphone/computer, you can see where the lost device is, send some kind of signal or message to it, and also remotely block and even reset all information. These features can be set up in two minutes, are completely free to use, but can save you a lot of hassle. Enable them now - by the time you really need this feature, it will be too late.