Parents' credit cards subject to withdrawal of 150,000 rubles by two daughters.
In the Krasnodar Krai region of Russia, a concerning trend has emerged, with scammers exploiting children as unwitting accomplices in their fraud schemes targeting parents' online bank accounts and credit cards.
The latest incident occurred in Korenevsk, where a 10-year-old girl was approached by a "blogger" through a messaging app. The blogger offered her a chance to earn donations for the popular game Roblox, but the offer came with a catch. The girl was asked to follow various bloggers and, in return, was given a link to enter. Unbeknownst to the girl, this link led to a request for access to her mother's phone. A manager of one of the bloggers sent codes to the girl, which she entered into online banks through her mother's phone, allowing the scammers to withdraw 27,000 rubles.
Similarly, in Gelendzhik, scammers used a different method. They promised donations for a game and approached a 9-year-old girl through a friend's link. This time, the scammers managed to issue credit cards in the names of the girl's parents and withdrew a staggering 120,000 rubles from the credit cards.
In these scams, the scammers capitalise on the trust relationships within families and the natural access children have to parental devices. They manipulate children to gain sensitive financial information, bypass security measures, and conduct financial transactions. The children are often promised rewards or are intimidated into complying, unaware of the criminal nature of the requests.
The scams are designed to bypass parental suspicion. Since children are considered innocent and trustworthy, parents might not immediately suspect their child of being involved, reducing the chance of immediate detection, allowing scammers more time to make unauthorized transactions.
This unfortunate incident serves as a reminder for parents to secure their devices with strong passwords and to educate their children about the potential dangers of online interactions, especially those involving financial transactions. By staying vigilant and informed, families can protect themselves from falling victim to these scams.
Technology has been leveraged by scammers in the Krasnodar Krai region of Russia, with a recent incident in Korenevsk illustrating this disturbing trend. A 10-year-old girl was manipulated into providing access to her mother's phone through a popular game platform, leading to the withdrawal of 27,000 rubles from general-news accounts. Similarly, in Gelendzhik, scammers used a different tactic, promising donations for a game and coercing a 9-year-old girl into issuing credit cards in her parents' names, resulting in the theft of 120,000 rubles. These crimes underscore the importance of using technology safely and educating children about the risks associated with crime-and-justice online.
