- The FBI warns against a continuous program targeting victims of online fraud
- The victims are encouraged to reach out to a person on Telegram, pretending to be the chief of IC3
- The person would try to access the financial accounts of the victims
Cybercriminals attack victims of online fraud, using their state of emotional distress to cause even more harm, said the FBI, revealing that he had received more than a hundred reports from such attacks in the past two years.
In the campaign, cybercriminals would create false social media profiles and join groups with other victims of online fraud. They would then claim to have recovered their money with the help of the FBI Internet complaints (IC3). This makes the cunning credible because IC3 is a real division of the FBI and serves as a central center to report cybercrime.
Those who believe that the complaint is then invited to contact a person by the name of Jaime Quin on Telegram. This person, claiming to be chief director of IC3, is actually part of the program. Quin will say to the people who contacted that he has recovered their funds and would then ask for access to their financial information, to steal even more money.
Get in touch
This is only an example of the functioning of the scam. The FBI says that the initial contact of the crooks can vary.
“Some people have received an email or a telephone call, while others have been approached via social networks or forums,” he said. “Almost all the complainants said the crooks said they had recovered the victim’s lost funds or proposed to help recover funds. However, the complaint is a cunning to invalidate those who have already lost money because of scams.”
To minimize the risk of lowering scams, you should only contact the police through official channels. In addition, you should keep in mind that the police (especially those of management positions) will never contact you in this way, especially to launch contact.
Finally, the police will never ask for your password, your financial information or your access to private services.
Via Bleeping Compompute
