Experts have warned about a new scheme of stealing money through subscriptions
The field of e-commerce and digital services continues to develop, and along with it, the methods of financial fraud are being improved. The usual phishing mailings and calls from fake bank employees are being replaced by more complex schemes using legal payment mechanisms. One of these threats is related to recurring payments, automatic debits that are widely used when paying for subscriptions to online cinemas, music platforms, and other digital services. Irina Sheludchenko, head of the analytical department of the Information Security and Anti-fraud department at YUMOPEU, told Izvestia on November 6 how the new fraud scheme works and how to protect against it.
How the fraudulent scheme works
According to experts, the annual expenses of Russians for utilities, Internet, mobile communications and digital subscriptions amount to about 5 trillion rubles. This volume of regular payments makes the auto-signing mechanism an attractive tool for fraudsters.
The scheme begins with the creation of a fake website that looks like a legitimate online service. Such sites may offer information services, access to entertainment content, or participation in promotions. At the same time, the resource may have a user agreement, a public offer, and formal consent for regular write-offs.
The scammers then launch advertising campaigns on social networks and instant messengers. Users are invited to participate in a raffle, complete a survey for a reward, or gain access to a closed sale. To confirm participation, you must provide your bank card details and pay a symbolic amount, for example, one ruble. A small payment is not suspicious, but it is at this stage that the user can agree to a paid subscription. By confirming the operation with an SMS code, the person actually allows the service to make subsequent automatic debits.
Overnight charges: how fraudsters determine the balance on the card
The special feature of this scheme is that money may not be debited immediately after signing up for a subscription. The attackers use an algorithm of sequential payment requests, which allows them to determine the available balance on the bank account. At first, the trading platform tries to write off a large amount. If the bank rejects the transaction due to lack of funds, the system repeats the request, gradually reducing the amount of the payment. As a result, fraudsters can conduct several transactions for different amounts.
"Such operations often occur at night, when the cardholder may not notice the charge notification. In the morning, the user discovers several suspicious transactions at once," the experts explained.
How to protect a bank card
Despite the development of anti-fraud technologies, the security of funds largely depends on the attentiveness of the users themselves. Experts recommend, first of all, not to enter bank card details on questionable sites and not to accept symbolic payments, for example, in one ruble, in order to participate in sweepstakes or receive rewards. In addition, it is important to regularly check the list of active subscriptions in the banking application and monitor which services are allowed to automatically debit money from the card.
Special attention should be paid to the choice of online platforms. Unknown sites offering a wide range of services at suspiciously low prices require additional verification. Before linking a bank card, it is necessary to carefully study the user agreement and the public offer, make sure that there are no pre-established marks of consent to regular payments, and check the conditions for unsubscribing.
"To pay for digital services, it is better to get a separate virtual or additional card, replenishing it only for the required amount. At the same time, it is better to limit automatic debits from the main bank card as much as possible. It is also worth checking whether the required service is included in an already issued multi-subscription: users often connect additional paid services, unaware that access to them is already provided in the existing package. This approach will help to avoid unnecessary expenses and reduce the risk of unwanted write—offs," the experts said.
What to do if the money has already been debited
If the user finds suspicious transactions, it is necessary to act immediately. First of all, you should block the bank card through the mobile application or by contacting the bank's hotline. Then you must send a written statement of disagreement with the transactions to the financial institution. Experts recommend doing this within 24 hours after the debits are detected.
You should also contact the police with a statement about possible embezzlement of funds. It is important to keep all the evidence — bank notifications, screenshots of transactions, correspondence with the service and confirmation of attempts to cancel the subscription.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
