In Russia, criminals began using a scam scheme, impersonating homeowners and stealing money under the guise of paying a down payment on a house. reports this with reference to documents from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
According to the agency, scammers are posting attractive ads for apartments for rent on popular real estate platforms. When a potential renter contacts them at the designated phone number, they will confirm the apartment's availability and offer to pay in advance to reserve it. Customers are also promised contact details of the manager responsible for delivering a particular object.
The most common fraud schemes before Tet have been named
After receiving the link and entering their bank details, the prospective renter will open the online banking app to confirm the transaction. As a result, money will be deducted from the card. However, scammers don't stop there. Posing as the manager, the fraudster informs the victim about an “error” in the system and claims that to return the mistakenly recorded amount, it is necessary to top up the same amount on the card account. In a desperate attempt to get back the lost money, a person is in a state of stress and loses even larger amounts of money.
Previously, Russians were warned about fortune-telling scams around Christmas.
