Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Cybersecurity company F6 has uncovered a large-scale fraud campaign targeting residents of Uzbekistan, Belarus and Tajikistan. Scammers are creating websites that imitate government social programmes and offering users allegedly entitled payments or opportunities to earn passive income, F6 reported.
Specialists from F6’s Digital Risk Protection Department identified more than 360 domains operating under a similar scheme. The websites are designed as official information or news portals and contain reports about non-existent programmes providing financial support to citizens.
Users are asked to complete a survey and fill out a form providing their first and last names and phone numbers. In particular, residents of Uzbekistan are promised weekly payments of 15 million soums. Some of the websites also offer passive income allegedly supported by a government ministry.
According to F6, the scam operates under two main scenarios. In the first, users are directed to a single-page website describing the offer and containing a questionnaire. In the second, scammers fully copy the design of a regional media outlet and publish a fake news report about a social programme, followed by a form to complete.
After users submit their contact details, a scammer posing as a personal manager contacts them. The fraudster may attempt to obtain money by claiming that a commission or fee must be paid to process the payment.
Scammers may also seek access to the victim’s device or personal data. Under the pretext of registering in a system or verifying their identity, users may be asked to install a mobile application that could actually be malicious and gain control over the device.
Another tactic involves requesting a scan of the victim’s passport under the pretext of verification. The personal data obtained may subsequently be used in further fraudulent attacks, including attempts to take out loans or conduct phishing campaigns.
“Scammers in such schemes exploit citizens’ trust in government programmes and social initiatives.
“They carefully copy the visual style and language of government portals and media outlets to make the websites look as convincing as possible,” said Anastasia Knyazeva, senior analyst at F6’s Digital Risk Protection Department.
F6 specialists recommend obtaining information about government programmes only from verified official sources. Users should also carefully check the domains of websites they visit, including through Whois services, and avoid clicking links sent by strangers.
Even links sent by acquaintances should not be opened unnecessarily if they were not requested, as the sender’s account may have been compromised.
F6 also urges users not to share personal or banking information, SMS codes or passwords with third parties, and not to enter such information on unfamiliar websites.
The company recommends never transferring money to unknown individuals and consulting trusted people when in doubt.
