MOSCOW, January 23 Sberbank has identified a new fraud scheme against legal entities: attackers create fake accounts of directors in messengers, and then try to force an accountant to transfer money to a third-party account , the bank said in a statement.
«»Sberbank has recorded a new type of fraud against corporate clients. Criminals create a fake account in instant messengers, supposedly the head of the company. For greater reliability, they can upload a photo from available sources to a fake profile: take it, for example, from the company’s website or use an avatar real account,» the message says.
Then, from the fake account, the scammers begin correspondence with the company’s accountant. After several general phrases, the “manager” gives instructions to transfer funds to the details specified in the message. If the subordinate does not notice the substitution and completes the task, the company’s money goes to the accounts of drops — people who cash out and transfer funds stolen by cyber fraudsters.
“Cyber fraudsters are less likely to deceive legal entities than individuals, but the stolen amounts in these cases are much greater. Now a new method of fraud has emerged through the creation of a fake account for the head of a company in messengers. Sber successfully identifies such schemes, and the bank’s fraud monitoring has already been supplemented with knowledge about this type of fraud,” commented Stanislav Kuznetsov, deputy chairman of the board of Sberbank.
He noted that it is worth paying attention to why the manager suddenly got a new phone number and an account in the messenger, why data was hidden in it, why the director could address him strangely in correspondence. “We should be wary of any changes, especially if they concern financially responsible employees of the company. In order not to become a victim of criminals, it is better to personally contact the manager and clarify all questions with him by phone or in a face-to-face meeting,” concluded Kuznetsov.