Fraud is the taking of property of others through deception. In fact, this is the same theft. The only difference is that it is possible to steal money or an item of value thanks to the gullibility of the victim. In modern society, fraud has become widespread. Attackers are finding ever new ways and means of deception in order to take possession of someone else's good. To avoid trouble, you should know the main types of fraud.
Street games and express lotteries
People have always sought to quickly enrich themselves. Attackers have been using this desire since ancient times. The most ancient way of cheating is to play a thimble. The rules are quite simple. There are three thimbles on the table; under one of them lies a ball. If a player guesses exactly where he is hidden, he will be able to get a win. And to play, you must first make a certain amount. The essence of fraud is that it is almost impossible to guess which thimble the ball is under. Initially, an attacker can attract a person into the game, that is, allows him to win. The cheated pays for several new attempts to double the amount of winnings. But, unfortunately, it is not possible to return the money.
Playing a thimble is nothing more than a sleight of hand of an attacker. The ball, which is under the thimble, is made of plastic material. It compresses easily and fits in a fist. It only remains to distract the person so that he does not notice this clever maneuver.
Express lotteries work on the same principle. Initially, a person buys a ticket and receives a small gain. There is excitement. The problem is that the reels and lottery tickets are fake. Nobody succeeds further in winning. Every attacker should be a good psychologist. One has only to choose the right words so that the “victim” believes in the possibility of a major win. In fact, this is a real crime. Fraud of all sizes is punishable by law.
Most often, scams on the street are turned by a group of people. One can "work" with a thimble or lottery, the other will lure people. It is possible that in the crowd there will be a person who manages to win time after time. Most likely, this is an accomplice in a criminal group.
Card games
Card fraud is traditional. As soon as gambling appeared, the attackers began to come up with new ways to seize other people's property and money. There is even a thieves profession. A person who tricks people with cards is called a sharpie. He not only plays cards very well and knows a lot of manipulations, but also is an excellent psychologist, knows how to distract a person with a gesture or facial expressions. Most often, card cheaters do not work alone. Entire prisons and schools organize training for such specialists in prisons. By the way, the salary does not fall into the pocket of the criminal, but is divided equally between the members of the group.
Card games are a whole world with its own rules and language. In fact, the cards themselves are not an element of crime. Despite the fact that gambling is prohibited in many cities and countries, cards perfectly develop logical thinking. Signs of fraud, the game acquires only when one of the participants caused material or moral damage. The desire to take risks is the biggest magnet that attracts people to card games. Indeed, many play for money or other material values. Gambling, including card games, is often addictive. Get rid of which oh how difficult. Alas, not many succeed ...
Card games are illegal today. Despite this, people continue to be hooked by scammers. There are whole establishments where people come to "try their luck." Most often these are cellars or other rooms hidden from the eyes of the police. Such fraud in Moscow or other major cities is considered quite common. Trusting citizens often come across at train stations, clothing markets and other crowded places. Modern cheaters keep up with technology. To play card games, it is not necessary to go to the casino: you can have fun at the computer in real time.
Divination
Many seek to know their future. Is it worth investing in a business? Would it be dangerous to have surgery? When will you be able to get married? Trusting citizens are ready to give any money in order to get answers to exciting questions. Fortune telling is an even more ancient form of “excitement” than card games. It is not worth doubting that there are truly gifted people. But most of those who want to know the future are the most common criminals. Various examples of fraud can be cited, as a result of which the victims were literally penniless, moreover, people sold apartments and cars to pay the fortune-teller.
Today, there are so many ways to “predict fate.” Many offer fortune-telling on coffee grounds, some craftswomen use cards in their work. Palmistry is quite common, although not to the same extent as before. But, despite such a wide range of techniques, all of these options are united by one. Whatever the method of divination, before you know the future, you need to make a deposit. Large-scale fraud occurs when a visitor to a magic salon is required to make an advance payment in excess of, say, $ 500 ... And many agree, without bothering to think, is the price for a lot of services too high?
In most cases, women are fortunetellers. The magic salon has special attributes. These are various candles, mirrors and amulets. The fortuneteller herself can have black hair and catchy makeup. The headscarf is most often present on the head. All this, of course, impresses the gullible client. A couple of well-defined characteristics, a casual remark of a seer, a few seemingly non-binding questions, and all is a victim on the hook ... The problem is that responsibility for fraud of such a plan does not always occur. The fortuneteller can formalize his activities. In this case, there can be no complaints from the state. After all, people themselves decide to take their money to the magic salon. And who can guarantee that the fortuneteller’s words about the future are true?
Financial pyramids
Such types of fraud have been familiar since ancient times. The most notorious example is the notorious MMM community. People were offered to buy coupons for a certain amount. They needed to be cut according to the scheme. Those who brought finished products were paid a sum several times greater than the amount that was paid at the beginning.
With the development of information technology, financial pyramids have leaked onto the Web. There are various types of fraud, but they have one essence. The financial structure exists on the money of depositors. Interest is paid by attracting new customers. It turns out that primary investors manage to make good money. But such a structure does not have financial confirmation. It is built from the air. Sooner or later, the collapse of the financial pyramid. Organizers disappear with all the money depositors. And this is observed when the influx of new customers stops.
The financial pyramid can be an excellent tool for earning. Those who invest money at the very beginning and manage to return the money spent (with interest) even before the collapse of the structure feel great. This is a rather risky business. Before you make money in this way, it is worth studying fraud schemes. One must be prepared for the fact that the money still will not succeed.
Magic wallets
As soon as everyone got access to the World Wide Web, new examples of fraud appeared. Many people began to transfer money to electronic accounts. Letters about magic wallets began to arrive on mailboxes. The bottom line is to send a certain amount of money to an electronic account, and in a few days it will double. Attacking unsuspecting people was quite simple. Initially, many sent a small amount of money to such a wallet. Several times it was possible to really get income. After the deceived person already transferred a large amount, all information about the wallet disappeared.
News about magic wallets quickly spread on social networks. Nobody trusted letters anymore. Then the attackers had to develop new fraud schemes. The emails suggested tricking the magic wallet. In most cases, it was possible to obtain income if a small amount of money was transferred to an attacker. In fact, this is the same divorce. Trusting citizens were given a wallet number and warned that it was fraudulent. Fraudsters can be “punished" if you repeatedly send money in small amounts. The problem is that finances did not return even after the initial transfer.
Highly paid work at home
There are people who, for a number of reasons, cannot get a normal job. It can be mothers on maternity leave or citizens with disabilities. They are happy for any employment at home. And if they offer a rather high payment for it, this is a huge plus. It is on this basis that numerous methods of fraud are based. People are invited to type at home, collect pens, and glue envelopes. But before you begin, you should make a certain amount of money. Attackers explain this maneuver quite simply. This is a payment for raw materials. What if a person receives material for work, but doesn’t want to fulfill his duties? Many consider this excuse to be fair and often fall on the hook.
There are also fraud methods that do not require any down payment. People are offered work at home, which is associated with professional skills. Often, this kind of deception is associated with copywriting. A person is offered a highly paid article writing job. But in order to start cooperation, it is necessary to send a trial text, which, allegedly, will be paid at a lower rate. After the copywriter performs the test task, communication with the employer is terminated. A fraudster can profitably sell an article that went absolutely free on one of the exchanges.
Products at competitive prices in online stores
An online store is a great way to save money. Things are most often stored in warehouses. This means that the seller does not need to overpay for the retail space. Therefore, the goods are offered at below market prices. But in this area, scammers have found their niche. They create a colorful website, upload information about products that do not exist. At the same time, the lowest price is offered. The only problem is that the purchase cannot be sent to the buyer by cash on delivery. You can buy a thing only after full prepayment. A person deposits money into an electronic account, but does not receive his purchase. Such online stores most often exist for no more than a month. This is a large-scale fraud. Indeed, for a certain period of time, thanks to a good site and colorful advertising, it is possible to deceive a lot of "buyers". Preliminary costs quickly pay off.
In order not to be deceived when making online purchases, it is worth paying attention to some nuances. First of all, this is the method of payment and delivery. If it is proposed to purchase goods by cash on delivery, it is worth taking this opportunity. A good online store always has feedback on its activities. If for several months of work there are none on the network, it is worth considering.
Telephone scam
Mobile communications have become widespread over a decade ago. In this area, attackers have also found many ways to enrich themselves. There are a huge number of paid numbers, which are charged quite differently than the mobile operator describes. A person may receive an SMS message about a major win. And to find out detailed information, you must call back to the specified number. At the same time, the “lucky” is kept on the line for a long time. It is not possible to find out information about the win. And after the call is interrupted, it turns out that all the money has disappeared from the account.
Recognizing phone fraud is easy. The message will indicate only the minimum information about the win and a reference number. If the promotion really exists and is carried out by the mobile operator, the terms and conditions for obtaining a win will be indicated. It is impossible to become a participant in such an action without prior registration.
A message may be sent to your phone asking for help. The person calls back and thus falls on the hook of the attacker. Money from a mobile account disappears. This is also a scam. The amount withdrawn from the account may be small. However, in any case, it makes sense to contact the law enforcement authorities.
Insurance fraud
The victim is not a natural person, but a legal entity. Many companies enter into life, property, and real estate insurance contracts. But! The likelihood that the accident will be regarded as insurance, and the company will have to pay a certain amount to an individual, is negligible.
True, there is a diametrically opposite option, when attackers try to deceive the agency itself. The composition of the fraud is that the “victim” artificially creates an insured event. If the contract relates to a car, you only need to do a little damage to the vehicle. The company pays compensation. And in order to repair a car, you need a much smaller amount.
Insurance fraud today is quite common. Simple gullible people also often face deception. Lovers of easy money can act as insurance agents. Criminals go home and office, offering their services. What is at stake, the reader probably already guessed. People are offered to insure life or property. Monthly payment will be minimal. The more customers trust an insurance agent, the larger the size of the fraud. But even on small amounts, an attacker manages to make good money.
Credit Fraud
Large amounts of money have always attracted attackers. Therefore, credit fraud has recently become enormous. The most common attackers are individuals who enter into an agreement with a financial institution. Even at the stage of signing all documents, they know that loan obligations will not be fulfilled. The calculation is quite simple. The fraudster is sure that, having issued a small amount, the bank will soon forget about the borrower. At the conclusion of the transaction, the attacker indicates the wrong contact information. The likelihood that the offender will be able to find, is significantly reduced.
Credit fraud can also be associated with documents proving the identity of the borrower. There are frequent cases when, after losing a passport, a person finds out that a large loan is issued for his name. To avoid such situations, the security services of financial institutions began to make special requirements for contracts. To take a loan, it is not enough to provide a passport and income certificate. The borrower is photographed and asked to indicate several stationary phone numbers for communication. The decision to grant a loan in a particularly large amount can be made within a few days.
How do black realtors operate
Often, fraud in the field of lending is associated with the acquisition of real estate or road transport. Many people do not understand the nuances of concluding deals, so they use the help of realtors. The specialist undertakes the search for suitable property, as well as the preparation of documents. The client communicates with a financial institution through an intermediary. A realtor may inform the borrower that the bank refused to grant a loan. In fact, the financial institution made a deal. The intermediary disappears along with the "earned" money. And the borrower only after some time learns that the loan was nevertheless issued, and the debt has already grown significantly.
Credit communities
Bank fraud is much less common than crimes related to various credit communities. These are organizations that offer to put money on a deposit or arrange a loan on favorable terms. For some time, such firms have been operating normally. Then the problems begin. It is not always possible to repay the deposit funds, and the interest on the loan increases substantially.
Deposit fraud at a bank is even less common. Most large financial institutions are members of the state deposit guarantee fund. This means that the deposit funds will be returned in full, even if the bank goes bankrupt. But you should not trust your savings to a financial institution that has existed on the market for less than three years. Extensive experience and positive feedback will be an additional guarantee that financial resources will not melt like smoke.
Fraud Responsibility
Any actions that involve the seizure of another's property as a result are prosecuted by law. Fraud is a criminal offense. It is regulated by article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Regardless of whether a major fraud was committed, or whether the offender managed to take possession of a small amount, you will have to answer for your actions. How? Let's talk about this in more detail.
According to the law, fraud is the taking of someone else’s property or gaining rights to it through fraud. The culprit, through cunning actions, misleads the person. As a result, the victim gives his property voluntarily. Most often psychological methods are used. Later, a person realizes that this is fraud. Where to turn with this - not everyone knows. After all, it is difficult to admit that the crime was based on their own stupidity and credulity. What if law enforcement officials do not want to accept the application and just laugh?
Fraud is a serious problem that is gaining ground today. Victims should not be afraid to claim their rights. The crime will certainly be solved if you seek help immediately. The fight against fraud is the prerogative of a special police department. Depending on the extent of the damage, the offender may be sentenced to 10 years in prison.
And it is not so important how much the victim suffered: lost a couple of hundred rubles, or was it a major theft. Fraud must be punished! Article 159 provides for the 4 severity of the crime. In the first two, deprivation of liberty is provided only if the offender cannot compensate for the damage. The most serious is fraud of the third and fourth degree. Even returning money or property to the victim is no guarantee that imprisonment can be avoided.