The number of data theft phishing schemes has grown significantly on Telegram

Fraudsters often use phishing devices with a social theme to steal access to an account. Since the beginning of the year, specialists have been fixing fake sites offering to vote in a children’s drawing contest, sign a petition, donate money for a child’s treatment, receive social benefits, etc.

This spring, five Russian-language chats with between 100 and 300 participants involved in phishing attacks appeared on Messenger, said Evgeny Egorov, lead analyst at FACCT’s Digital Risk Protection department.

Scammers create fake pages and bots that serve as bait. In May, more than 260 thousand accounts were stolen – the users themselves entered data into the “left” forms. The attackers uploaded the received usernames and passwords to dubious forums and were able to monetize 20 rubles per account, it notes. In just one month, the profits of cybercriminals from one of the communities could amount to 5.2 million rubles.

Another common way of obtaining user data, experts call upon receiving a message with a “gift” – a subscription to Telegram Premium. The user follows the link and receives a code that supposedly activates the subscription; when the code is entered, the attacker gains access to the account.

According to experts, the activity of scammers grows in proportion to the popularity of Telegram.

• In 2022, the average cost of an advertising post on Telegram news channels increased by 341% and reached 55.9 thousand rubles. A year earlier, it amounted to 12.6 thousand rubles. In 2023, Telegram ad prices will continue to rise, experts predict. According to his estimates, the rise could be up to 20% due to the continuous growth in the demand for placements in the messenger. Inflation will also drive up prices.