In anticipation of Valentine's Day on February 14, scammers are actively exploiting the desire of single guys to find a companion. Fraudsters create fake "girl" accounts in dating apps, generating beautiful photos using neural networks. During the correspondence, the "girl" invites the man to spend the holiday together, which lulls vigilance and inspires confidence.
After establishing contact, the scammers send a link to purchase a ticket to a theatrical performance, opera, stand-up show, or other event. Most often, the Fast Payment System (FPS) is used for payment, and the receipt shows a transfer to an individual's account. Thus, the naive young man loses money by paying for a reservation through a fake restaurant or theater website.
However, the scheme can continue further. After purchasing the ticket, the "girl" continues to have a nice conversation, and then shortly before the event, she reports a force majeure situation — whether it's a pet's illness, household problems, or other excuses — and offers to return the ticket in order to choose another event together. When trying to return, the technical support operator requests card details under various pretexts, and the money disappears from the account.
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