366 views
VTB repelled half million fraudsters’ attacks since beginning of year
According to the VTB press service, the fraudsters were especially active in January, when the bank repelled over 200 thousand attacks and safeguarded customers’ funds in the amount of almost 2 billion rubles. In February and March, 150 thousand attacks were blocked, and the total amount of safeguarded funds reached 3.6 billion rubles. At the same time, this March, the number of headed off threats almost doubled compared to March 2021.
VTB seeks to prevent the theft of funds even in cases where customers have already disclosed their account details, card and personal data to fraudsters. The bank helped protect funds of more than 40 thousand clients this March, which is four times more than in March 2021. During the first quarter, fraudsters’ attacks on the funds of 60,000 customers were prevented, compared to 20,000 in Q1 2021. Thus, VTB's protection systems safeguarded funds in the amount of 93 thousand rubles per client on average.
Bank experts note that the situation in the banking market has changed significantly in February-March this year, yet the activity of fraudsters has remained at a high level. Criminals constantly adapt their attack scenarios to the news agenda, trying to take advantage of the uncertainty and in many cases impulsive decisions of customers regarding their accounts and savings. Scam calls are made under the guise of “customer funds protection”. Scammers offer transfers to “secure” accounts, assuring that SWIFT is available for transfers from them, or they offer no-fee investments in foreign currency through “partner banks”.
Besides, scammers creating fake sites to offer connection to FPS or privileged currency exchange, as well as “intermediaries” offering assistance in paying with cards for the services of foreign providers or installing VPN services become more active in March. Meanwhile, fraudsters use any and all channels of communication with customers, including messengers, phone calls, links to fake websites that sell branded clothes and shoes, electronics, as well as other new scenarios. In this context reliable protection of client funds is critical. VTB solves this problem despite all the restrictions imposed.
Bank experts recommend being as vigilant as possible and getting all the necessary information about your accounts and transfers from official sources alone. You should not disclose to third parties your personal data and bank card details, including passwords and SMS codes from VTB Online. Bank employees will never ask for such information, nor will they offer any fund transfers to a “secure account”. When paying with a card, use trusted sites only and check the links carefully before following them.