Flowers as a gift, account in minus: a new scheme of scammers

Ahead of Teachers Day, scammers began using flower delivery as part of a scheme to steal accounts. A teacher, parent or other recipient is actually brought a bouquet. This was reported in the press service of the Office for Combating the Illegal Use of Information and Communication Technologies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region.

The courier delivers flowers and does not require payment or any action. And later the person calls allegedly a delivery service employee and asks to name the code from the SMS - "to confirm delivery", "closing the order" or "reporting the courier". In fact, this code can open access to an account or confirm actions on behalf of the owner.

The scheme is designed for trust and inattention. The recipient has already seen the courier, held a bouquet in his hands, so the call “from the delivery service” does not cause suspicion. Fraudsters pressure politeness and promise that “it will take a second.” But once the code is named, attackers gain access to the personal account - whether it is a bank, public services or messenger.

Teachers are especially vulnerable, who receive many gifts and messages on the pre-holiday days. Parents can also become victims: they order bouquets, and then receive “refining” calls.

In order not to become a victim, do not tell unauthorized codes from SMS and push notifications. Do not name them, even if the interlocutor knows your name, address or details of the delivered bouquet. Do not follow the links that come after the gift. If in doubt, call the delivery service by number from the official website or from the application. And if the code has already been transferred - immediately check access to your accounts and change passwords.