Internet scammers attacked clients of regional banks

The depositors of the Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development (UBRD) faced fraudulent attacks on social networks, the company’s press service told Izvestia.

In December, information security experts identified about 20 fraudulent resources imitating the UBRD website. Links to them were circulated on social networks under the guise of official advertising.

Fraudsters lured bank customers by promising free rolls and pizza. To do this, on the malicious site, it was required to enter the card number and name, and then the SMS code from the bank, supposedly to confirm the receipt of the bonus. Undergoing a simple procedure, the victim transferred control over his account to the attackers and lost money.

“It is important to understand that scammers have learned to bypass the moderation of advertising messages on social networks and broadcast links to fake sites directly into the feed,” the bank’s press service said.

Alexander Vurasko, a leading analyst at Infosecurity’s digital threat detection department, noted that UBRD is not the only financial institution that has faced such scams in recent months. In particular, in the second half of 2021, the company discovered a ton of resources offering pizza and sushi on behalf of Alfa Bank and Post Bank.

“During the fall, we have recorded more than 70 such resources. But in December, sites aimed at UBRD clients really broke all records, ”says Vurasco.

Experts do not exclude that attacks on regional banks may become a trend. Alexander Vurasko noted that the fraudulent scheme under discussion is easily adaptable to any bank. In regional financial institutions, cybercriminals are attracted by the fact that they tend to monitor phishing less closely, and their clients are also less cyber literate.

More details in the exclusive material of Izvestia:

“Cheese in social networks: how scammers attack clients of regional banks”