Security News > 2021 > January > Telegram-Based Automated Scam Service Helps Fraudsters Make Millions
More than 40 scammer groups are actively engaged in schemes leveraging a scam-as-a-service offering that provides users the tools and resources needed to conduct fraud, according to threat hunting and intelligence company Group-IB. The automated scam service has been named Classiscam by Group-IB and it's meant to help cybercriminals steal money and payment data from unsuspecting victims, through the use of fake pages mimicking those of legitimate classifieds, marketplaces and delivery services.
Simple and straightforward, the scheme has gained a lot of popularity, with over 5,000 scammers registered in the 40 most popular Telegram chats by the end of 2020.
Some of the popular international classifieds and marketplaces abused by these scammers include Allegro, OLX, Sbazar and Leboncoin.
Victims are then asked for their contact information for delivery, and are provided with a link that takes them either to a fake courier service website or a scam page with a payment form.
These individuals are responsible for recruitments, creating scam pages and registering accounts, as well as for providing assistance when transactions are blocked.
The topic starters' get a share of 20-30% of the stolen funds, while the workers, which engage with the victim and send the URLs to scam pages, get the rest.