IntSights, a cyberthreat analysis company, spoke about fraudulent schemes used by participants in Russian-speaking forums on the dark web to steal the identities of US citizens and try to get unemployment benefits for them.
It is not entirely clear why IntSights experts singled out Russian forums. Their report clearly indicates that the same operations are carried out by Nigerian, European and American cybercriminals.
The scheme described by the researchers is extremely simple: a conditional fraudster applies for unemployment payments on behalf of either a real citizen or a fictitious one (a combination of real and fake data).
After that, the attackers indicate their card for receiving benefits, while simultaneously discussing the nuances of the campaigns on the forums.
IntSights explained that the difficult situation with the unemployment of US citizens plays into the hands of criminals. Benefit centers are overwhelmed with statements and requests.
Active participants in Russian-speaking dark web forums, according to experts, even hire men and women to call call centers. After receiving the money, they convert it into bitcoins or transfer it to offshore accounts.
In addition, on the aforementioned Russian forums, scammers share tips for buying digital personalities.
