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MOSCOW, October 9 Attackers, disguised as sellers of imported medications for pets, defraud Russians of money and payment information by offering such drugs through Telegram, Kaspersky Lab reported.
«Kaspersky Lab experts have drawn attention to a fraud scheme aimed at Russian-speaking users — pet owners. Attackers defraud money and financial information from people who want to buy imported medicines for their pets,» the message says.
It is noted that scammers have become more active against the backdrop of news about a reduction in the supply of veterinary drugs to Russia: they have created several channels on Telegram, where they allegedly offer people to purchase the necessary drugs from resellers. We are talking, in particular, about products for protection against fleas and ticks, for the prevention of babesiosis and borreliosis, drugs that are used as a medicine for inflammatory processes, itching and against allergic reactions.
«»The purchase of a specific medicine is negotiated with the potential victim in personal messages. After the user transfers funds for the selected product, he is informed that the drug has run out and is offered to return the money. To do this, you need to follow the link sent and enter your bank card details on the page «, and also provide the code from the SMS. However, the page actually turns out to be a phishing page. Thus, there is no return, and the attackers lose the person’s financial information. In addition, scammers can write off an even larger amount from the victim’s card if the victim reports the code from the SMS,» — they explained there.
According to the company, the channel descriptions indicate that medicines are allegedly supplied from abroad, and resellers are engaged in not only retail but also wholesale sales. At the same time, the attackers claim that all the goods are original. At the time the channels were discovered, between 8 and 18 thousand people were subscribed to them; experts do not rule out that some of the subscribers were scammed.
«»To avoid falling for the tricks of criminals, make purchases only from trusted sellers and in stores with positive reviews. If payment is necessary «Enter your bank card details on the page, check the domain name for typos or unusual characters. Do not tell anyone the code from SMS or push notifications. In addition, it is worth using security solutions: they will notify you if the link you are trying to follow is phishing,» — shared cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky Lab Daria Ivanova.