MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2020) A total of 126 fraudulent online resources selling fake digital quarantine passes to the residents of Moscow have been identified, with 78 of them already blocked, Group-IB, an international Moscow-based cybersecurity firm, said on Monday.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people traveling in Moscow and the Moscow Region on personal and public transport are required to obtain digital passes. There are three options to obtain those passes � online, through an official helpline and via an SMS to a specially designated number. While people having to commute to their place of work or go to a medical institution can get special passes with unlimited travel, residents can only obtain two passes a week to travel across the city for other reasons.
"As of April 26, Group-IB's Brand Protection team has discovered 126 fraudulent resources selling fake digital passes to move around Moscow, including 25 websites, 35 groups and accounts in social media, 66 channels on the Telegram messenger. Group-IB has blocked 78 resources so far and continues blocking and monitoring activities," the company said in a statement shared with Sputnik.
The fraudulent cyberactivity first emerged in March, when the Moscow authorities began to tighten up measures on the movement of people in order to contain the virus, the company added, noting that the fake passes were being sold at a price ranging between $38-65.
"During the investigation, carried out with the help of Group-IB's experts, the Moscow police found evidence that pointed to two Moscow and the Moscow Region residents who allegedly ran the operations. Both suspects were detained on April 21 and confessed to the fraud. As a result, criminal proceedings have been initiated," the cybersecurity firm said.
On April 13, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that the portal issuing passes allowing the city's residents to leave their homes during the self-isolation regime had been subjected to multiple cyberattacks.
