A new method of fraud has come to Russia. In addition to hacking social media accounts and sending messages on behalf of their owners with a request to transfer money to a card after an accident, attackers have developed a system for hacking Telegram accounts.
It is difficult to suspect deception: when generating with an AI application, fragments of voice and even expressions in speech from audio are used. Scammers also use other personal information from hacked correspondence for their own purposes - photos of documents, passports, bank cards, and other data.
After that, the victim's contacts receive requests to transfer money, and they are supported by a fake voice audio message. They can also send bank card details with the name and surname, and even a passport in the correspondence - to confirm the authenticity of the request. The mailing also comes to group chats where the victim of the hack is a member. Victims of such actions or those who have encountered them have already contacted the editors of "RBC".
Security experts advise those who have received such messages from relatives, friends or acquaintances not to rush to transfer money to the requester. The fact that you were sent a message with a request for help, an audio recording, bank cards and a passport is not proof that you are communicating with a scammer.
It is necessary to double-check whether the Telegram account holder is actually contacting you with such a request. You need to call him back, meet him in person, or conduct a check in some other way.
There is no response from Telegram to RBC's request on this matter yet, nor is there any official comment.