A new scheme of investment fraud has appeared online

A new scheme of investment fraud has been revealed in Russia — intruders allegedly from the company GazInvest offer to receive dividends from the sale of natural resources to citizens born in the USSR, Izvestia has learned.

Installation for theft: how scammers spread dangerous apps among Russians

The attackers pose as bank employees and representatives of operators.

The editors independently checked the new method of deception. It turned out that the attackers were hiding behind alleged government payments from Gazinvest. Fake resources report that since June 1, Russians born between 1960 and 1991 (that is, those born in the USSR) have received large dividends from the sale of the country's natural resources. Despite this caveat, verification is open to everyone.

The website suggests checking your entitlement to receive payments. To do this, the user is asked to enter their full name and phone number. After that, an alleged "check in the state database" is displayed, as a result of which it turns out that the person is eligible for payments.

"Congratulations! You have been successfully found in the lists for receiving dividends. Wait for a call from a GazInvest specialist for more detailed information," the Izvestia correspondent said on the website.

Then the user is contacted by the operator or an alleged representative of the company, who explains that in order to generate income, you must first invest a certain amount in a fake GazInvest. According to legend, these "investments" are necessary to activate the dividend account or complete the last stage of registration. They promise that after that the user will receive money. But in fact, there is no payment. All invested funds go directly to the scammers, and the sites and operators disappear after the money transfer.

Izvestia sent a request to the press services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the company.

A law enforcement source told the editorial board that more than 20 cases have already been reported. For example, unknown persons, posing as employees of the GazInvest investment fund, deceived a 66-year-old Muscovite. First, he transferred 350 thousand rubles to them, then, at their request, he sold his apartment for 8.5 million and transferred the money to the scammers. The total damage amounted to almost 9 million rubles. A criminal case has been opened.

Another case was recorded in St. Petersburg. A 79-year-old woman and her husband received a call from unknown people who urged them to make money on investments through the alleged GazInvest platform. As a result, the couple transferred 5 million rubles to the scammers. The issue of initiating a criminal case is being resolved.

Since the beginning of the year, the neural networks of Yandex Browser have identified 30 thousand new fraudulent investment sites. One in five of them used the names of companies from the gas industry, the Yandex press service told Izvestia.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Born in the USSR: a new scheme of investment fraud has been revealed