Maria Girich told what schemes fraudsters use to cheat Russians
Maria Girich, Researcher, International Best Practices Analysis Department at the Gaidar Institute, told Izvestia about ways to cheat on the Internet and explained how to avoid fraudulent tricks.
The expert noted that various «game» cheats are in fashion now, when one must perform some tasks, such as «liking» videos on social networks, leaving consumer reviews of products on marketplaces or commenting in exchange for a promise of payment for each click or review. This problem is due entirely to Russia’s failure to regulate patterns for consumer reviews and ratings of goods and services on marketplaces. This causes mass purchases of reviews, as well as defrauding consumers on marketplaces who actually read these reviews.
The matter is that in the EU and the US such practices are prohibited by law, the expert explained. For example, sellers are prohibited from posting consumer reviews of products if the seller is unsure that the review comes from a person who has actually bought the product. It is also very common to offer work related to money transfer, making purchases or receiving parcels on behalf of another person. The largest danger is the disclosure of personal or financial information; on average, an individual loses about $2,000 on such a fraud. According to CNBC, fraud related to online work and employment in general accounts for about 9% of all online fraud.
Maria Girich added that fraudsters usually try to interest people and promise them an easy start to their own business or a flexible work schedule. The way they offer to earn money is also important. Frequently, messengers receive fraudulent messages from strangers and do not contain details. Receiving them often requires contacting that stranger. The hiring process is usually quick, with no interview, qualifications or experience verification.
The requirement to deposit money, i.e. to invest funds to allow withdrawing all earnings in the future is regarded as a 'Red Flag,' as well, or, for example, to pay tuition fees, buy an app subscription or purchase goods.
Lack of full contact information, lack or poorly designed website (e.g., links on the page are not working), use of unsafe payment methods (e.g., offer to withdraw funds in cryptocurrency instead of bank payment, etc.), offer to follow a link or install an application (this can create risks of fraud, as well as the theft of personal or financial data), summarized the expert.
Monday, 17.02.2025