August 18, 2021

Teach a Man to Phish


Teach a Man to Phish

“Don't believe it, don't click it, don't pay!”

– Sergey Volodkhin, director of the Russian company “Antiphishing”

Russian citizens are currently being tempted with a tantalizing online money raffling scheme. On August 16, Volodkhin explained the mechanics of the “new” scam that allegedly takes place on instant messengers that uses greed as psychological bait.

“This scheme of deception can hardly be called new, because all the characteristic elements are traced in it: the appeal of unprecedented generosity in the form of gift-giving, a small commission compared to the amount of the prize, and an additional condition for receiving money - entering the full payment data of the card.”

Volodkhin explains that there is a catch even for those who are skeptical of the prize. How many of us are immune to a little “what if” thinking?

After engaging with a message, a user is directed to a phishing site, where a prize for the “messenger promotion” is listed as one million dollars. The victim is allowed to choose any application to find out the size of the prize, which ranges from 10 to 5000 dollars. The next step is to a chat with the “administrator,” where he learns that he is one of 100 “happy” users who is eligible for several thousand dollars of additional prizes. The "bank operator" then warns that the transfer of currency between residents within the country is prohibited, and the winnings must be converted into rubles and the victim must pay a small commission of several hundred rubles. He is then asked for all sensitive information on his bank card, which can also be used to withdraw all money from the victim’s account.

Be careful – with the onslaught of coronavirus QR code requirements, you might be subjected to other, more subtle scams, too...

 

You Might Also Like

The Russian Art of the Con
  • July 01, 2002

The Russian Art of the Con

A look at the art of cheating in Russia today--what are the newest cons and who is falling prey to them?
Taxis, Guns, and Scams
  • December 31, 2020

Taxis, Guns, and Scams

This week, we mark the end of 2020 with transportation stats, social media monitoring, and preparations for wild celebrations.
Criminal QR-Codes
  • August 12, 2020

Criminal QR-Codes

Be careful what QR-codes you scan in Russia, you may be opening yourself up to fraud.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955