Russian hackers managed to steal $6 million from foreigners in 2020
Around twenty Russian hacker groups have managed to steal more than $6.2 million from American, European and CIS citizens using fake online delivery and sales sites via well-known classified ad services.
A well-known modus operandi
Using a scam nicknamed "Mammoth", these Russian groups were able to con a number of people. A scam they first used in Russia, then extended abroad because it worked so well. Indeed, with the coronavirus pandemic and the shift to teleworking for many people, there has been a sharp increase in online shopping and therefore in the use of delivery services.
The modus operandi, which is very common among scammers, is as follows: on the famous classified ad sites in each country, in particular Leboncoin in France, they publish ads, known as "bait lots", for the sale of popular products such as cameras, video game consoles and laptops, all at rock-bottom prices. When interested users wrote to the scammers, the latter did everything in their power to redirect the conversations to a messaging system outside the classified ads site.
Fake delivery sites
Once the conversation with the victims has been transferred to the messaging system, the scam can take shape. The Russian hackers ask the buyers for their contact details so that the products can be shipped. To make the payment, the victims are then redirected to a fake delivery site that has been completely reproduced by the scammers and looks like a popular delivery site such as DHL or FedEx. Without suspecting anything, the victims enter their bank details and it is with this information that the hackers can steal their money.
Some scammers even go so far as to offer some victims who have realised the deception to return the money on a new page, and then take advantage of this to debit the victims yet again.
An international scam
This fraud has already worked in the following countries: USA, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan.
A fraudulent system also exists for the purchase of goods. A fraudster finds a genuine seller on a classified ad site, shows that he is interested, redirects the seller to a fake page to receive the funds by entering his bank details, and it is at this point that the fraudster takes advantage of the opportunity to steal the seller's bank details.
Buy your second-hand products safely with Obvy
When you choose to carry out a transaction between private individuals via classified ad sites, in a sense being delivered to yourself, it's up to you to be vigilant. Fake delivery sites are very popular with scammers. Be wary when you see prices that are a little too low compared with those on the market.
Shop securely with Obvy. Our simple, 100% secure payment system has been specially designed to prevent scams in transactions between individuals. Numerous operations have been put in place to prevent you from finding yourself in this kind of situation. For example, with our funds blocking system, the seller can only receive his money once the buyer has confirmed receipt of the product ordered.