Russians were warned about the intensification of scammers during the holidays

EdgeCenter CIO Sergei Lipov advised Russians to be careful with offers of discounts and promotions, especially if they come in the form of emails or messages.

“Check the authenticity of the offer and make sure it is from an official and reliable source.

When buying gifts, pay attention to the quality of the product, packaging and documents.

Buy goods only from trusted sellers and stores,” said RT’s interlocutor.

He also recommended checking website addresses before entering personal data and banking information.

In addition, during this period one may encounter such a scheme as the sale of counterfeit gift certificates, Lipov said.

“Scammers are offering great deals on gift certificates that are actually counterfeits.

When you try to use such a certificate, you find that it is invalid,” the specialist added.

The press service of Compare told RT that during the holidays, scammers often try to take advantage of the hype and lure money from those who were not careful enough.

“As a rule, the targets of attackers are not the heroes of the occasion, but those who are going to buy and give gifts.

That is, before February 23, offers will appear with men's perfumes, sports and auto products, and before March 8 - with cosmetics from famous brands, flowers and jewelry.

The main schemes for making money on such sites are selling goods of obviously poor quality at an inflated price or stealing card details and then funds from it,” they noted.

Even during the holidays, telephone scammers become more active, experts explained.

“To avoid unpleasant incidents, follow the well-known security rules: do not provide personal data and card details, do not tell anyone confirmation codes and be sure to check where the call is coming from - you can always call the bank back.

In addition, many banks and mobile operators now provide voice assistant or caller ID services.

Such a service can help filter out calls from intruders even before the conversation begins,” the press service concluded.

Earlier, Alexey Volkov, Marketing Director of the National Bureau of Credit Histories, emphasized in a conversation with RT that the adoption of a law allowing citizens to impose a self-ban on taking out loans will certainly make it more difficult for fraudsters to obtain loans using stolen documents and to psychologically manipulate borrowers.