“Gatherings via VPN cost me 300 thousand”

Brought on a platter

Using VPN services carries serious risks. The insecurity of free programs is confirmed not only by experts, but also by users of social networks: they tell how they became victims of a data leak. This was faced, for example, by a Muscovite Evgeny. He was called by a “neighbor” in the country and said that his elderly diabetic mother (the scammer knew not only the name of the mother, but also her diagnosis) became ill, and the ambulance would not pass on the broken road – you need to call a private ambulance for 18 thousand rubles. Eugene transferred the money, and half an hour later he received a call from his “sick” mother. And then Eugene understood everything.

“I am almost 100% sure that the scammers found the data about me and came up with this whole story thanks to VPN. I read somewhere that by installing such an application, it’s as if we ourselves bring everything to these scammers on a silver platter, ”Evgeny wrote on his VKontakte page.

Expert of the Commission for the Development of the Information Society in the Federation Council, chief developer of the Kremlin.ru website, CEO of the lab.AG studio Artem Geller explains that absolutely all user data passes through a VPN: from the sites that he visits to logins, passwords and photographs. This process can be compared to the operation of public Wi-Fi networks in a cafe or park: unscrupulous service owners get access to all your traffic and important data.

“In the best case, the data will be leaked to the black market, where it will be bought by a large marketing agency to target their ads. At worst, the data will fall into the hands of outright scammers who earn money by cheating gullible users, ”says Artem Geller.

No luxury, no money

Most VPN services do not provide transparency in their work: they collect a large amount of data, but do not really protect the privacy of users, says Artem Geller. Companies may claim to protect your data, but in reality they can dispose of it as they please. You can find out about this when it is already too late – money or sensitive personal data will be in the hands of scammers.

Another “surprise” that a VPN can bring is spyware (software) aimed at stealing credentials. When you install the program, these modules get access to your computer or phone.

Kira from Moscow did not know about this when she downloaded a VPN to “shop” on the websites of fashion brands that left Russia. But dreams of luxury things with a “huge discount” had to be paid dearly: along with the VPN, the girl downloaded spyware. As a result, the link led to a fake website of the store, so the money for the purchase went to the scammers.

“How much money I lost, I won’t say, my husband will kill! But, girls, you yourself know how “shod” I was. I have never written such long posts anywhere before, but here I think you can’t be silent, because I know that many of you miss all kinds of brands, yes, there is no replacement yet, but VPN is not an option either. Don’t even think about it! We will wait, and they will all return to Kuznetsky!” – Kira wrote on her page in VKontakte.

Correspondence under the microscope

Companies that provide free VPNs have to make money somehow. Therefore, they often do not worry about possible leaks and subsequent sales of personal data.

The scammers contacted a student Vlada, who entered a Moscow university a year ago, and put pressure on a sore spot – on her mother’s health. As a result, the girl had to take 300 thousand rubles from a microcredit organization, 200 of which were taken over by two more girls. A gullible student sent money to scammers, and the next day she got a call from her mother, who spent the whole weekend at the dacha without communication. Now relatives have to give everything they earn to pay off huge interest.

“Somewhere in March-April, I downloaded vpn, later they started to blunt in batches, and I downloaded batches to switch between them. In June, my VK page was taken away, then I had to block the card, because they called from the department and said that someone was trying to use it, and then this story with my mother. She is not on social networks, I have not told anyone about her diseases anywhere, but even the number of the clinic and the name of the doctor, how would they know? I think they just read my correspondence and saw how my mother sends me extracts from the medical history, ”Kira shared on social networks.

“All VPN companies, whether they provide paid or free services, are a big gray area. Our data passes through them, and what they do with them is their responsibility, moral principles, and so on. But one thing is for sure: it’s a business. And any business requires money. How to earn them? For example, merge databases. So users have no guarantees in principle,” says Artem Geller.

No VPN – no problem

VPN does not guarantee the user complete privacy, additional security and anonymity, and also receives all the user’s network traffic. Although experts can name several ways to avoid the negative consequences of using anonymizers, these solutions cannot guarantee 100% protection. Even paid VPN services can be vulnerable, for example, due to their architecture and how it can be used. According to Artem Geller, the most reliable way to save personal data is not to use a VPN at all.

“Services are divided into paid and free, but you will have to pay in any case – either in money or information. A company that provides free services is clearly trading or mishandling your data. In the situation with free VPNs, this is your price, ”Geller emphasizes.