{"id":23602,"date":"2024-12-02T16:23:22","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T12:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=23602"},"modified":"2024-12-02T16:23:22","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T12:23:22","slug":"message-boards-video-call-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/message-boards-video-call-scam\/23602\/","title":{"rendered":"Message boards hit by new video-call scam"},"content":{"rendered":"

Large online marketplaces do what they can to combat fraud, but cybercriminals remain one step ahead when it comes to scamming both buyers and sellers<\/a>. This year has seen the rise of an online video-call scam where fake buyers ask for a video-demo of a product, during which they swipe one-time codes. Here\u2019s all about this scheme \u2014 in four acts.<\/p>\n

Act one. Suspicion<\/h2>\n

A seller of a high-end product (say, a fancy TV) is approached by someone posing as a buyer who wants to pay and collect as quickly as possible. But there\u2019s a catch: that someone requests a video-demo first. Most message boards don\u2019t let you do this, and even if they do \u2014 the \u201cbuyer\u201d will mysteriously have some issue at their end: \u201cStrange, it\u2019s not working, how about we use WhatsApp instead?\u201d <\/em>And so the conversation moves seamlessly to a messenger or other chat platform. The request to switch to WhatsApp, Telegram or whatever is a BIG red flag. On their own home turf, scammers have an easier job of luring you to a phishing site, because many message boards don\u2019t allow sharing links in chats.<\/p>\n

Act two. Certainty<\/h2>\n

The \u201cbuyer\u201d asks the seller lots of questions about the product: where did they buy it, does it work ok, and, if so \u2014 why are they selling it? With each passing minute, this dialogue between strangers becomes all the more like a conversation between long-time buddies. The \u201cbuyer\u201d seems keen and ready to fork out\u00a0\u2014 the seller just needs to provide a card number for the transfer of funds and the deal is done: \u201cWhat a pleasure doing business with this guy. He sure is trustworthy.\u201d<\/em> But here\u2019s when the trap springs\u2026<\/p>\n

Act three. Discovery<\/h2>\n

Without even naming the screen-sharing feature, the \u201cbuyer\u201d asks the seller to turn on screen-sharing in WhatsApp. If the seller complies, their banking app screen becomes visible to the scammers, who attempt to log in to the seller\u2019s online bank account. At this point, the victim\u2019s smartphone receives an unexpected text message with a one-time code<\/a>. On most devices, the code is displayed in a pop-up message that the cybercriminals also get to see. And if the victim, still in screen-sharing mode, checks to see what message just arrived, the scammers don\u2019t even need the pop-up\u00a0\u2014 they get the code anyway!<\/p>\n

Act four. Loss<\/h2>\n

Depending on what information the \u201cbuyer\u201d had beforehand, and what access they gained to the victim\u2019s bank account, they can either siphon off funds immediately, or, if the amount in the account is too large to transfer, switch to another scam involving a call from an \u201cinvestigator\u201d who promises to investigate the incident of fraudulent bank access and persuades the victim to transfer the money to \u201ca safe account\u201d. One way or another, the money disappears.<\/p>\n

How to guard against message board scams<\/h2>\n

Bear in mind that message boards are often teeming with fake sellers and buyers. Sure, such accounts eventually get exposed and blocked after user complaints, but the perpetrators simply create or buy new ones. So we\u2019ve made a list of tips to help you stay safe when buying or selling on any message board:<\/p>\n