Viber warns about risen fraud vs bank card holders in messengers

MOSCOW, Mar 1 (PRIME) – Viber, which has blocked more than 9,000 accounts since the beginning of 2021, warned about a rise in the number of fraud against banking card holders in messengers in Russia, Viber’s owner, company Rakuten Viber said on Monday in a statement.

“Fraud involving holders of banking cards and efforts to cheat on users via messengers and social networks has recently surged in Russia. Perpetrators often use popular messenger to contact clients of different banks,” Rakuten Viber said.

“Since the start of the year alone in Russia, Viber has blocked 9,416 accounts with signs of fraud, about which users complained.”

Perpetrators call users from fake accounts of different banks and disguise themselves as bank employees with the bank logo also exploited.

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