In Irkutsk at a press conference in Komsomolskaya Pravda they spoke about the most common internet fraud schemes, from fake car sale ads to false fundraisers for treatment and bank card data theft. Police gave real examples from practice, including a case where the criminals were identified after buying a laptop with someone elses card. The article also explains how not to become a victim of scammers online and in everyday life.

At a press conference held the day before in the editorial office of the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. Irkutsk, the problem of fraud on the Internet was discussed. Acting head of the police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Irkutsk, Lieutenant Colonel German Bratchikov, spoke about the methods used by internet fraudsters and cited some facts from police practice.

Fraud using the worldwide web is becoming increasingly widespread. In particular, online stores have become popular lately, and their sellers are not always conscientious in their work. One such example is the automobile website “drom”. Criminals sometimes post photos and ads there for the sale of a non-existent or long-sold car and indicate a very favorable price. They tell a potential buyer that there are many people who want to buy this very car and offer, as an advance payment, to transfer part of the car’s cost to the account or mobile number of the so-called seller. In the end, the buyer is left without both the car and the money. As a rule, people from other cities most often fall for this trick.
There is another method of fraud used on the same site. Some citizen posts on the forum that he has a sick child whose treatment urgently requires money. Visitors to the site send their funds to the specified account, and afterward it turns out that there is no sick child, and the person simply used the compassion of fellow citizens as a source of enrichment.
There are many websites where you can use web money. Fraudsters only need to know the serial number of your bank card, as well as the number indicated on its back.
Here is one of the facts that was recently uncovered by employees of Police Department No. 5 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Irkutsk. A man had a wallet with money and a credit card stolen from his car. The victim did not immediately block the card, which was a big mistake - the criminals were able to use the credit card even without knowing the PIN code. Right after that, they bought a laptop online in one of the stores in Irkutsk. Only thanks to this purchase were the fraudsters identified and detained.
In such popular social networks as Odnoklassniki and Vkontakte, cases of fraud are also not uncommon. So-called “gold diggers” ask to transfer money to their account or, after getting acquainted with their victim on the Internet and learning about their financial situation, rob them when they meet.
It is quite difficult to track down internet fraudsters. It is even harder to prove their criminal intent. But it is still possible. Since the beginning of the year alone, more than 10 people have been detained in Police Department No. 5 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Irkutsk for fraudulent actions on the Internet. The age of the criminals is usually from 20 to 27 years old.
To avoid ending up on the list of their victims, you should not disclose your personal details or bank card information to anyone, and above all, you should not transfer money to unverified people. If a bank card is lost or stolen, it should be blocked immediately. Criminals can even in a store, café, or restaurant peek at or photograph the card details and then use them for their criminal purposes. Therefore, be careful when making purchases not only on the Internet, but also in everyday life.
Based on materials from the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Irkutsk