The main schemes for committing telephone fraud under the pretext of the need to declare funds
Stage 1.
- Typically, a call comes in via messenger (Viber, Telegram).
- They are represented by the water utility, energy supply company (replacing meters), the clinic (clarifying data, replacing a paper card with an electronic one, etc.), the company servicing the intercom (replacing or repairing the device, providing a temporary code for entering the building), social security agencies (recalculating the pension amount), the post office (clarifying data for receiving mail).
- They trick you into revealing personal information, such as bank card numbers, or codes from SMS messages supposedly sent from banking apps, mobile phone companies, post offices, etc. Then the conversation ends.
Stage 2.
- Another call to the messenger (Viber, Telegram).
- They always call from law enforcement agencies (KGB, State Control Committee, Investigative Committee, Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Bank, Belarusian State Inspectorate for Expertise).
- They claim that the victim was recorded communicating with fraudsters who took out a loan in the victim’s name and accuse him of financing extremist groups, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, etc.
- They demand that no one, including close relatives, be informed about the calls, using videoconferencing, law enforcement uniforms, ID photos, and office settings. They pressure you to act quickly. They constantly keep you on the phone.
The goal is to instill fear in the victim, then create confidence that they are trying to help them. The scammers are only interested in their savings and property. It is reported that a criminal case has been opened against the victim, their residence will be searched, and all savings will be confiscated.
Stage 3. Standard requirements.
- In order to declare funds and ensure their safety, it is necessary:
- transfer money to a secure account;
- place the money in a designated place (forest park areas, garbage containers, etc.);
- transfer money to a “representative” of the National Bank, a law enforcement officer, including taking it out for delivery to a courier abroad.
- Obtain the maximum amount of loans from the bank to “exhaust the credit limit,” or assist in exposing fraudsters allegedly working at the bank. Further actions are suggested similar to those described in point 1.
- Participate in a special operation to obtain “positive” references, avoid criminal liability, etc. To this end, collect money from designated locations or from other individuals who are unable, due to age or health, to “declare” the funds themselves, then transfer them to accounts, or hand them over to another “representative” of government agencies, place them in a designated location, or transport them outside the republic.
