When speaking with fraudsters, confirming anything can be dangerous. Cyber expert Alexey Yershov, deputy director of the NUC of the Federal Tax Service of Russia and Bauman Moscow State Technical University, identified specific «stop words» to avoid during such conversations in a recent interview.
According to the expert, it is particularly risky to share codes from SMS messages or banking notifications, as well as providing passport details, SNILS (insurance number), INN (tax ID), bank card numbers, and passwords. Scammers can exploit this information for blackmail or theft.
«While a recording of your `yes` might not hold legal weight for contracts, it`s dangerous to confirm anything using words like `correct,` `agreed,` `I confirm,` or phrases like `transfer it.` This boosts the scammer`s confidence,» Yershov added.
Fraudsters only need three to five minutes of a person`s voice recording to create a basic deepfake. However, a more convincing imitation requires a significantly larger amount of material – typically 15 to 30 minutes.
Earlier, Anton Nemkin, a member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, reported a new surge in scam calls impersonating «Russian Post.» One common scenario involves a call seemingly from a sorting center, reporting a package or delivery error. The scammers then instruct the victim to go to a Telegram bot to allegedly verify details or confirm identity via «Gosuslugi» (the State Services portal) or «Post ID.»
