Scammers have developed a plan to deceive Russian citizens. They offer to send the package to the wrong addressee, supposedly by mistake. In February, the number of fraud cases increased by almost 30% compared to January, according to the VTB press service.
VTB warns of a 30% increase in fraud cases related to the erroneous receipt of non-existent parcels. Fraudsters, on behalf of a transport company and the recipient of the parcel, ask to pay for the cost of the package or customs duty for it. After transferring money or paying via QR code, the scammers immediately disappear.
The scammers act together, and each participant has their own task in this deception scheme. One of them pretends to be an employee of a transport, postal, or customs service. He informs the victim about the arrival of the package and the need to urgently redeem it and pay customs duties.
Then, an accomplice comes into play, posing as the real recipient of the shipment. He persuades the victim not only to pick up the package but also to pay non-existent fees, intimidating them with fines from customs and problems with law enforcement agencies. The scammer promises to return all funds after the parcel is handed over.
As soon as the victim transfers money, supposedly for receiving the package, to the account indicated by the scammers, both fraudsters disappear.
Dmitry Revyakin, Deputy President of VTB and Head of the Department for the Protection of Corporate Interests in the Security Department, said that the story with the package is part of a well-thought-out fraudulent scheme.
In order for the victim to fully believe in the reality of what is happening, the scammers use an accomplice who plays the role of the recipient of the parcel. All their promises to return the money and threats about fines are just a trick to extort money from the person.
If you receive calls with similar stories, it is best to stop communicating and contact official services to verify the information. Be careful about offers that come from unfamiliar sources.
Earlier, a new fraudulent scheme was discovered in Telegram. Attackers send messages reporting the alleged death of users' acquaintances. They attach a file with the .apk extension to these messages, which they disguise as a photo.
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