In the Vitebsk Region Media Center, employees of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Regional Executive Committee discussed cybercrime issues with young people

Law enforcement officers met with young students at the Vitebsk Oblast Media Center to remind them of the basics of safe online behavior and the importance of educating their parents in this area.

The event was organized by the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Regional Executive Committee as part of the republican preventive campaign "Cybersecurity Decade 'CyberKids'".

— This year, over 700 cybercrimes have been recorded. The majority of these are thefts of money from bank accounts. Citizens lost over 970 thousand rubles. Among the victims were 21 minors, — said Alexander Garus, Head of the Cybercrime Counteraction Department of the Criminal Police of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Regional Executive Committee, Police Colonel. — Sometimes teenagers themselves act as perpetrators. For example, in Vitebsk, one of them defrauded four peers: he asked for a phone to make a call, and then made money transfers using the mobile operator's application. The amount of damage was 400 rubles. A college student, using free access to his roommate's laptop in the dormitory, logged into his online casino account and lost about 1 thousand rubles.

Malefactors are constantly improving old and inventing new ways to seize others' money and evade deserved punishment. Their main goal is one — to extract confidential data from a person, in particular, by forcing them to click on a special link (this technique is called phishing) or through a phone call (vishing).

Today, there is a sharp increase in illegal acts related to the use of other people's accounts of the popular Viber application, which allows making calls over the internet. Criminals need them to evade responsibility: to contact potential victims, hiding behind other people's phone numbers. Moreover, fraudsters can use various schemes to gain access to messengers.

— Messages with links offering to obtain necessary information are often sent in chats and communities: fake news, job offers, or information about your child's academic performance. After clicking the link, you will be asked under a plausible pretext to grant access to your account on another device, — noted Alexander Garus. — If criminals gain access to an account, they start calling our compatriots: they ask them to participate in a police special operation to catch fraudsters who have illegally taken out loans, or they pose as bank employees who have detected suspicious activity on the client's account. People are more willing to believe that they are being contacted by banks or other government agencies if the call comes from a Belarusian number. For example, recently a worker from Orsha lost about 13,000 rubles after talking to a fake law enforcement officer, and a teacher from Glubokoye lost over 8,000 rubles. In total, about 960 residents of the Vitebsk region have fallen victim to such crimes this year.

Another popular method is the use of malicious software. In 2022 alone, operatives identified 12 hackers engaged in this activity.

— We monitor the internet to identify suspicious websites, developers, and users of prohibited software that helps, for example, to gain access to databases storing people's social media accounts, bank accounts, and electronic wallet details. Therefore, this information is subsequently used for theft of funds, fraud, blackmail, or simply sold, — emphasized the officer. — Mostly young people are involved in this, some of them have prior convictions for similar offenses.

Cybercriminals also operate on online dating platforms. After a brief correspondence, a fake lady suggests meeting the gentleman for the first time at a theater, hookah lounge, etc. She shares a link to a website where tickets can be purchased or a table can be reserved. As a result, the suitor loses all the money on his card.

— We should not forget about other methods that scammers have long and, unfortunately, successfully used. In particular, they often call pretending to be a relative who has been in a traffic accident, and ask the person on the other end of the line to hand over a round sum to a courier to pay off the victims or settle matters with law enforcement officers, — emphasized Alexander Garus. — Therefore, I once again draw the attention