100 Types of Telecom Frauds: "Impersonation Fraud"
In this chapter, let's delve into the murky world of impersonation fraud, unveiling 20 common schemes that scammers rely on to ensnare victims and robust defenses against these traps.
Impersonation Fraud
Scammers often pose as leaders, relatives, and government officials, attempting to defraud individuals by claiming they need to borrow money or by fabricating legal complications involving finances.
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· Fake merchant refunds or compensation claims · Impersonating customer service for account unblocking · Signing of fake agreements · Unusual transactions in online stores · Special enrollment offers · Impersonating cyber police to trace funds · Fake company contract payments · Bogus teachers collecting miscellaneous fees · Impersonating celebrities to solicit donations · "Friends" requesting help to purchase plane tickets · Compensation claims for allegedly lost packages |
· Impersonating customer service on transaction platforms · Impersonating WeChat officials for second real-name authentication · Impersonating public security, procuratorate, or court officials to investigate funds · Fees for supposed insider benefits from leaders · Fake payments for children's training programs · Celebrity rebate scams · Impersonating friends to recover hijacked accounts · Impersonating friends to borrow money · Fake prize-winning notifications |
Typical Fraud Cases
1. Impersonating merchants for compensation claims
Scammers call victims to inform them of a product quality issue that qualifies for compensation. They then proceed to communicate via WeChat to carry out the scam.
Using illegally obtained shopping information of the victims, they impersonate merchants to discuss "compensation" and trick victims into returning overpaid amounts. However, the money the victim receives is actually from a loan they applied for, not a refund.
2. Impersonating couriers for compensation claims
Scammers, knowing the victim's name and address, falsely claim that a package has been lost and offer compensation, enticing the victim to follow a counterfeit Official Account and collect personal information to commit bank card fraud.
They lure victims into following an "Official Account" and guide them to provide bank account details, passwords, ID card numbers, phone numbers, and SMS verification codes under the guise of filling out a form, ultimately leading to unauthorized transactions on the victim's bank card.
3. Impersonating customer service for account unblocking
Impersonating Tencent's official customer service, scammers offer to unblock accounts for a fee.
Once the victim pays a deposit, the scammer demands more money under the pretense of insufficient security level of the account until the scam is unveiled, at which point the victim is blocked.
4. Fake prize-winning notifications
Posing as game customer service, scammers send fake prize-winning notifications in the game and ask for a deposit to claim the prize.
Some even threaten legal action and demand a high penalty fee if the victim refuses to pay the deposit.
5. Fake customer service and buyers
Scammers claim they failed to purchase the victim's product, send fake page screenshots, and direct the victim to scan a QR code and transfer money for service processing through a fake customer service center.
6. Fake customer service, buyers, and orders
Scammers pretend to purchase a game account, using fake order confirmation texts and fraudulent links to direct victims to fake customer service, and then hijack the account.
When victims are deceived into changing their phone numbers linked to their accounts, deactivating real-name authentication, and sharing their accounts and passwords with someone posing as customer service, they then realize the transaction platform has no record of such changes, and by then, their account has been compromised.
7. Fake "security supervisor"
Posing as "Merchant Security Supervisor 10898", scammers alert victims of abnormal online store transactions requiring re-authorization. The victim is directed to add a customer service contact, only to discover an attempted scam.
Scammers usually have multiple accounts to pull off their fraud. They first pretend to be customers unable to place an order and reach out to the victim; then they impersonate platform security supervisors, advising the victim to seek customer service assistance; finally, posing as customer service, they demand payments from the victim, thereby executing the scam.
8. Impersonating officials for second real-name authentication
Scammers impersonate WeChat officials, claiming the account has not completed the second real-name authentication, sending phishing links to collect personal information and committing bank card fraud.
9. Fake arrest warrant
Impersonating police officers, scammers tell victims they're under suspicion of a crime and instruct them to transfer funds to a designated account for an investigation.
10. Impersonating cyber police offering fund recovery
Victims seeking to recover lost funds online may inadvertently contact fake cyber police and be scammed again.
Scammers use police avatars/badges as profile photos and claim to be cyber police/public security officers, preying on the victim's urgency to recover stolen money.
11. Impersonating leaders requesting large red packets
Scammers impersonate the victim's boss and request transfers for official business.
12. Impersonating bosses for conclusion of significant contract
Scammers impersonate company leaders, instructing victims to communicate with "partners" and transfer a deposit from the company account for fake contracts.
Scammers pretend to be both company executives and leaders of the contracting party to engage with the victim. They usually dodge identity verification by claiming they are in a meeting or unable to speak on the phone or requesting transfers.
13. Impersonating children needing tuition fees
Scammers pose as the victim's child, claiming an urgent need to enroll in a class and asking the victim to pay "teachers" for tuition fees
14. Impersonating teachers collecting fees
Posing as school teachers, scammers join parent groups, send split bill requests, and solicit payments for supposed class or miscellaneous fees.
15. Impersonating celebrities offering fan rewards
Victims are added to scam groups where scammers impersonate celebrities promoting rebate events.
After the victim makes a payment, scammers claim that the current event is at capacity and ask the victim to pay for a supposed higher-tier rebate event. They then use the excuse that the event requires an audit to request an audit fee from the victim. This scheme continues until the scam is uncovered, at which point the victim is blocked.
16. Impersonating celebrities for donations
Scammers, posing as celebrities, coax victims into donating to "children in mountainous areas".
The scammer tells the victim that they will receive a sales course as a reward for their donation, and then asks for more payments for premium membership or other paid courses.
17. Impersonating friends claiming account takeover
Scammers impersonate the victim's friend, claiming that their account was stolen and asking for help to recover it, only to take over the victim's account for further scams.
Scammers link the victim's account to their phone and then log in to the victim's account to borrow money from their friends, thus perpetrating further fraud.
18. Impersonating friends asking for help with plane tickets
Scammers impersonate friends in trouble abroad, asking domestic friends to book plane tickets.
Subsequently, scammers use excuses such as being unable to issue tickets, needing to expedite, or requiring an upgrade to a higher class to have the victim cover additional costs again until the scam or their identity is uncovered.
Typical Process of Impersonation Fraud
Strategies to Prevent Impersonation Fraud
Do not determine identity by profile photo or name
Scammers often impersonate legitimate organizations, celebrities, or friends by using official logos, real-life photos, official names or real names.
Given this deceptive practice, it's essential to sharpen your security acumen. Do not rely solely on profile photos and names to determine someone's identity. Always verify the person's identity through independent means before engaging further, and never transfer money based on unconfirmed claims.
Resolve issues through official channels
In impersonation frauds, scammers frequently pose as customer service or security supervisors, pretending to process transactions or resolve issues for victims, only to commit fraud.
Note: Platform customer service generally does not contact users through personal accounts; those claiming to be official personnel through personal accounts are usually scammers. when using various platform apps, always resolve issues through official channels. Do not trust links and accounts provided from unofficial sources.
No rush in transferring payments
Scammers often use multiple accounts to pressure victims, especially in online transaction scams, where they may pose as buyers urging the transaction while also pretending to be customer service to charge various fees.
When making payments through social platforms, stay calm and only proceed with payment after confirming the identity of the other party and ensuring that the fees are legitimate and reasonable.