Scammers began sending phishing links to test hotel reservations

Bank customers receive SMS messages from cybercriminals that lead to a phishing site designed to steal personal data and money.

How does it work:

• The hotel reservation service is being used as a lure in a new hybrid scenario. The attackers create a group in messengers or send SMS, in which they offer to evaluate the hotel reservation service and photos of accommodation facilities on the Booking website.
• The SMS contains a link to the Telegram channel, where the client can discuss in detail with his personal “manager” the additional conditions of “employment” based on the hotel’s evaluations. After clicking on the ad, the topic changes: the client is offered to help online stores “on sales” and is promised a large income in the amount of several tens of thousands of rubles per day.
• The attackers send a link to a phishing site, where they ask to pre-register using your personal data: full name, email and mobile phone number. After registration, the client is asked to deposit a certain amount into the specified account in order to start completing tasks for evaluating various products from online stores.
• At the end of each “working” day on the client’s account, the initially invested amount is doubled or tripled, but it will not be possible to withdraw the “earned” money, and it will not be possible to contact the personal “manager” either. .

VTB experts recommend not responding to suspicious spam, not participating in group chats, and generally refraining from communicating with strangers online and in instant messages.

It was previously reported that the number of phishing schemes to steal user accounts increased 67 times on Telegram during the year. Fraudsters often use phishing devices with a social theme to steal access to an account.