{"id":4782,"date":"2015-04-21T11:21:55","date_gmt":"2015-04-21T15:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=4782"},"modified":"2020-02-26T18:59:42","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T14:59:42","slug":"stop-or-my-mom-will-shoot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/stop-or-my-mom-will-shoot\/4782\/","title":{"rendered":"How to save $2000 on one call, or Why I am so proud of my Mom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello there! Usually, I write about topics concerning\u00a0technical support or problem-solving<\/a>, but not this time \u2013 though it will be relevant to the cybersecurity world. Today\u2019s post concerns phone fraud. I read \u00a0a lot of articles on racketeers, and I know their methods in theory, but this is about the very first time I encountered them in the wild.<\/p>\n

It all started with my Mom calling me at 12.30 a.m. I had been enjoying a second solid hour of sleep by that time, so her very first question surprised me just a tad.<\/p>\n

\u201cRodion, where are you?\u201d I was still half asleep so it took me a moment to figure out the correct response. Then I assured Mom I was in bed, sleeping, and this wouldn\u2019t change for at least several hours. Then I asked,\u201dWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

What happened was the following: In the dead of the night, a guy called her on the landline phone and said in a weary voice: \u201cMom, I got into an accident. I need your help. I\u2019ll pass the phone to the officer, he\u2019ll fill you in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then the \u201cpolice officer\u201d took over and referred to himself as Alexander.<\/p>\n

Mom: \u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nAlexander: \u201cYour son has run over a woman. He is facing serious charges. Are you going to help him?\u201d
\nMom: \u201cSure, how much would that be?\u201d
\nAlexander: \u201c100,000 Rubles (it\u2019s about $2000 at the moment).\u201d
\nMom: \u201cWhere is he?\u201d
\nAlexander: \u201cDo you need the exact address?\u201d
\nMom: \u201cYes, the address I need to bring the money to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for \u201cAlexander,\u201d he and his partner had just tried to impersonate someone who works in the\u00a0sphere of information security, and his Mom knows a lot about the stuff. So, while\u00a0Mom was having this discussion with Alexander the Policeman, she was also dialing me on her mobile to\u00a0clarify a couple of facts. Well, as soon as I answered the phone, the fraudsters hung up.<\/p>\n

I talked to Mom and reassured her she had nothing to worry about, and I was filled with pride upon hearing how cool-headed she was when talking to the fraudsters. As soon as the dust settled, she called the real police.<\/p>\n

How to save $2000 on one call, or Why I am so proud of my Mom<\/p>Tweet<\/a><\/blockquote>\n

Many people who face such a situation don\u2019t consider a call to the police an option, at least in Russia. They think that they would be laughed at or ridiculed \u2014 but let me assure you it\u2019s not the case. When we called to precinct, the first thing we were told that under no circumstances should we transfer money, and that Mom should immediately revoke the payments if they have been already executed.<\/p>\n

The police have treated the matter with the utmost care and seriousness and sent an investigator directly to Mom\u2019s home. He arrived at 4 a.m. (!), took her statement, briefed her on similar cases of fraud and instructed her on how to behave in circumstances like those.<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s time to analyze. The aforementioned situation is not a rare case, and fraudsters employ varied channels, including phone, SMS, email, social networks,\u00a0popular messengers (like Skype)<\/a>, etc.<\/p>\n

\n

Fraudsters hacked #Skype<\/a> and tricked victim\u2019s friends to send them about $5000: https:\/\/t.co\/lv9nlyGvVg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) March 24, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n