Russians warn of new scam with fake mobile tariffs

There has been an increase in the number of similar incidents recently, where scammers call under the guise of telecom operators and offer non-public or discounted rates.

In one case, the customer was offered a 50% discounted rate, promising automatic renewal every two months, the company said. The conversation continued on the Telegram messenger, where the scammers demanded payment two months in advance to “guarantee the connection.”

After the transfer of funds, the promised rate was not activated. Two months later, while trying to extend the discount, the customer discovered that the “representative” had deleted the chat claiming to be on vacation.

Beeline recommends checking tariff information only on the official websites of telecom operators, as well as not transmitting personal data or transferring money to unknown accounts.

• Cybersecurity experts also warned Russians about SIM card fraud in early September. Attackers buy old SIM cards and then use them to restore access to accounts on various online services.
• In July, the State Duma adopted a law limiting the number of SIM cards per person and clarified the organization of the work of social networks. Russian citizens will no longer be able to own more than 20 subscriber numbers.