The institute's specialists talked about the mechanism of this fraudulent scheme. According to them, it belongs to one of the most common types of cyberbullying - phishing.
The term "phishing" comes from the English word "fishing" - fishing, which implies fishing for user identification data.
The scheme works as follows: the user receives a message allegedly from an acquaintance or relative with a notification of a gift - an annual subscription to Telegram Premium. To activate it, you need to click on the link attached to the message. Since the message looks authentic, the user, without suspecting anything, follows the link.
On the page that opens, he is asked to enter the phone number linked to the Telegram account and the authorization code that is sent to the specified number. After entering this data, the attackers gain full access to the user's account. Immediately after that, the scammers begin to send similar messages to the entire list of contacts of the victim, and the sent messages are automatically deleted from the chat history, which makes it difficult to detect them.
In addition, during the period of access to the account, attackers can gain access to the user's personal data, including the possibility of conducting transactions with linked bank cards and electronic wallets.
To prevent such cases, the staff of the Research Institute of Digital Forensics recommend:
· Activate two-factor authentication in Telegram.
· Avoid clicking on suspicious links, even if they are received from acquaintances.
· Never enter personal data (phone number, confirmation code, password) on sites that are not official Telegram resources.
If the user has entered a confirmation code on a fraudulent site, measures must be taken immediately to regain control of the account. To do this, go to the "Settings" → "Active Sessions" menu and select the "End all other sessions" option.
Remember that the security and confidentiality of personal data directly depend on the observance of digital hygiene. This includes knowing basic precautions when interacting with information received through messages and calls. Even if the message came from a loved one, it is always recommended to double-check its authenticity, for example, by calling the sender.
The Institute also recalls that modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, make it possible to create extremely convincing fraudulent schemes using deepfakes. Therefore, the importance of digital literacy in the current environment cannot be underestimated.
