Eurasian Bank draws the clients’ attention to the growth of fraudulent schemes in the Threads social network. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, under the guise of dating and “looking for a serious relationship,” attackers are increasingly extorting large amounts of money from users.

How the scheme works

Fraud related to online dating is developing in stages:

1. Building trust.

Attackers register accounts using photos of attractive men or women and actively initiate correspondence. Communication quickly turns into an emotionally intense form.

2. Attachment formation.

Scammers create the illusion of a close relationship, share “personal stories”, promise a meeting or a future together.

3. Financial request.

After establishing trust, there follows a story about an allegedly difficult life situation – illness, urgent expenses, problems with documents – or an offer of “profitable investments.”

4. Transfer of funds.

The victim is asked to transfer money to foreign accounts, crypto wallets, or through third parties. Communication stops after receiving the funds.

Signs that should alert

Law enforcement agencies recommend to be especially attentive if the Internet friend:

• asks to transfer money or help financially;
• avoids video calls and face-to-face meetings;
• insists on the urgency of the transfer of funds.

Recommendations of Eurasian Bank

Eurasian Bank encourages clients:

• not to transfer money to online friends, regardless of the circumstances;
• not to transfer personal and bank data;
• not to click on suspicious links;
• to be critical of investment offers from social networks;
• at the slightest doubt, to stop communicating.

If you encounter an attempted fraud, you should immediately contact law enforcement agencies.

Important to remember

Earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reported on real cases when attackers stole millions of tenge from Kazakhstan citizens under the guise of online dating. This confirms that such schemes are not isolated cases, but a stable form of cyberbullying.