New method of fraud: How do companies mislead and extort money?

In the first half of 2024, representatives of small and medium-sized businesses in Russia encountered a new fraud scheme, with each case causing financial damage to firms amounting to hundreds of thousands of rubles. This was reported by the press service of RTM Group.

The fraudulent scheme is implemented in several stages. In the first stage, representatives of a supposedly well-known Russian company contact small consulting firms in the fields of legal services, accounting, real estate, and entrepreneurs providing cadastral services. They offer to sign a contract for services worth several million rubles.

In the second stage, the potential contractor receives an email requiring them to undergo an "economic security assessment" according to the strict rules set by the client. Victims are asked to pay for the service upfront and are promised compensation from the mentioned large company. The email also contains links to sites where the necessary service can be ordered.

In the third stage, when clients follow the links, they are asked to make an advance payment or pay the full amount for the "economic security assessment." The cost of the full service ranges from 400,000 to 500,000 rubles, with an advance payment of about 200,000 to 250,000 rubles. In the fourth stage, after payment, both the fake economic security assessment organization and the representatives of the large company cease all communication, resulting in the victim losing their money.

Since the beginning of 2024, several dozen such incidents have been identified in Russia. RTM Group specialists estimate the effectiveness of these attacks at about 30%.