The Ministry of Internal Affairs reports a new fraudulent scheme where criminals use fake Mir Pay applications to trick victims into transferring money from ATMs to their own accounts.
Russian citizens are being targeted by a novel fraudulent scheme involving the popular mobile payment system, Mir Pay. Criminals are exploiting deceptive versions of the application to siphon funds directly from victims` bank accounts via ATMs. This critical warning was issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), as reported by TASS.
According to the MVD`s statement, fraudsters are actively installing their own malicious contactless payment applications onto victims` smartphones. They frequently persuade individuals to download these fake apps under the guise of reinstalling a legitimate banking application. The scam specifically leverages a technique referred to as “reverse NFC,” which enables these fraudulent applications to mimic Mir Pay and establish a connection between the victim`s smartphone and the criminals` bank cards.
The MVD further clarified the mechanics of the scheme: “Consequently, when a victim approaches an ATM and attempts to use their smartphone for a transaction, they inadvertently transfer cash directly to these unauthorized cards belonging to the criminals.”
This incident underscores a persistent trend in cybercrime. Earlier, Alexey Luzhnov, head of BI.ZONE AntiFraud, had pointed out that older scam tactics frequently reappear in updated or modified forms, highlighting the ongoing evolution of digital threats and the need for constant vigilance.
Clement Ashworth 
Barnaby Whitfield