Cybersecurity experts are issuing urgent warnings as fraudsters ramp up efforts to steal New Year bonuses from Russian citizens through fraudulent investment offers.
Legal expert Ivan Kurbakov highlighted this emerging threat, stating that criminals are actively approaching citizens, promising seemingly high returns if they immediately invest their holiday premiums.
The Investment Fraud Tactic
According to Kurbakov, the scammers use high-pressure tactics, assuring victims of exceptional profitability while simultaneously stressing that the «special offer» is strictly time-limited. This manufactured urgency is designed to rush the victim into making a decision without proper due diligence.
“The attackers persuade citizens to invest their New Year bonuses profitably, promising high yields. Crucially, they emphasize that the duration of the offer is limited,” Kurbakov explained.
He further warned that once the money is transferred to the fraudsters, the funds are simply stolen. Victims should be aware that, in such cases, banks are usually unable to retrieve the lost assets.
Separately, Phishing and Extortion Campaigns Persist
The legal warning also referenced ongoing phishing activity involving prohibited or restricted online resources. Previously, it was reported that cybercriminals frequently create convincing duplicate copies of banned websites to harvest sensitive user data.
Criminals develop these sophisticated phishing sites specifically to collect personal information. The victims are subsequently subjected to threats and extortion, being intimidated with the threat that their collected private data will be publicly disclosed unless a ransom is paid.
