Internet fraud prevention councils established by the Ural Transport Prosecutor's office for combating cybercrime
In the current digital age, most crimes are perpetrated using information and communication technologies (ICT) and the Internet. An analysis of criminal case materials has unveiled common patterns in these cybercrimes.
Scammers often impersonate law enforcement agencies, banks, or trusted individuals to trick victims into transferring money to their accounts. Another scheme involves promising easy money through cryptocurrency trading or marketplace platforms, with the scammers pocketing the funds. Scammers also manipulate citizens into installing remote access apps on their mobile phones, using which they can take out loans in the victim's name.
In classic cases, victims receive calls claiming to be from a relative in distress, requesting money to be transferred to an unknown bank account. Therefore, the fight against cybercrime necessitates coordinated efforts and the establishment of a legal framework for cooperation among law enforcement agencies.
On September 28, 2018, the States parties to the Commonwealth of Independent States signed an Agreement on Cooperation to combat cybercrime. Under this agreement, unauthorized access to protected computer information, creation and distribution of malicious software, exploitation of a computer system by an authorized user causing significant harm, distribution of pornographic materials featuring minors, production and sale of specialized software for unauthorized access to protected systems, unauthorized use of copyrighted computer programs, and distribution of extremist or terrorist materials via the Internet are recognized as criminal offenses under national legislation.
Given the emergence of new fraud schemes daily, the Ural Transport Prosecutor's Office advises vigilance and encourages the following precautions: call relatives claiming to be in trouble to verify their status, contact your bank using official numbers to confirm any suspicious activities on your accounts, don't transfer money to unknown bank accounts or phone numbers, avoid sharing special SMS codes with strangers, refrain from clicking suspicious links, and refrain from calling short numbers. Report any cases of fraud to the police.
These cybercrime patterns, structured into categories such as privacy breaches, transaction frauds, cyberattacks on services and infrastructure, social engineering and malware-based schemes, and organized crime utilizing ICT, demonstrate the anonymity, scalability, and global reach that the Internet provides to criminals, exploiting these features to varying degrees of technical complexity and impact.
Technology and general-news outlets frequently report on the increasing prevalence of cybercrime and crime-and-justice issues, such as scammers using information and communication technologies (ICT) to trick victims. For instance, scammers often impersonate trusted individuals, promise easy money through cryptocurrency trading, or convince victims to install remote access apps. To address these cybersecurity threats, a coordinated effort among law enforcement agencies and the establishment of a legal framework for cooperation is necessary.
