VTB reported about scammers posing as CEOs of victims’ companies

Fraudsters have come up with a new scheme to steal money from bank client accounts, VTB reported. The attackers pose as managers of companies where the victims work and report a leak of personal data. According to legend, this data can be used to withdraw funds from accounts or apply for loans.

Fraudsters contact victims on behalf of their superiors in instant messengers and warn that they will receive a call from their supervisor who will tell them what needs to be done. After this, the victim receives a call from attackers who introduce themselves as security or bank employees. They ask to withdraw money and transfer part of it to “safe accounts” through an ATM, and give part to the courier. After this, the scammers hide and receive money from bank clients.

VTB recorded attacks on employees of commercial enterprises, medical organizations and law enforcement agencies. “Receiving such messages, a person begins to get nervous and in a stressful situation is ready to make every effort to protect his money,” says Dmitry Revyakin, head of the department for protecting corporate interests of VTB (Kommersant has a press release).

The bank noted that money can be stored “only in the account that you physically opened with the bank that serves you.” VTB recommended double-checking the information with the employer or with the credit institution itself. If you have any concerns, you can temporarily block your account while checking.

The head of the press service of the Moscow prosecutor’s office, Lyudmila Nefedova, recalled that law enforcement officers do not carry out any procedural actions over the phone, and bank employees never ask to withdraw money from accounts and transfer it to secure accounts or transfer it to couriers.

In the second quarter, according to the Central Bank, the number of fraudulent transactions with customer accounts increased noticeably, but the amount of stolen funds decreased by more than 20%. At the same time, along with the increase in thefts through SBP, the recovery of funds has dropped significantly.

Read more about the attacks in the Kommersant article. “Fraudsters take in quantity”.

Leonid Uvarchev