Call from number 900

Using bank cards is convenient, but there is always a risk of becoming a victim of criminals - especially among older people and those with a low level of financial literacy. To deceive gullible Sber customers, scammers use dozens of schemes, incl. they call from the official short number 900 assigned to the bank. Victims have more confidence in such a phone - they think that the call comes from SberBank, so they are more willing to disclose personal data and provide one-time codes and passwords for transactions. We will analyze in detail how to recognize scammers, what to do if they call “from the bank”, what measures to take to protect savings.

How do scammers deceive SberBank clients? TOP 7 popular schemes

Attackers are constantly improving their methods of deceiving citizens - coming up with new methods and legends, but the main method remains the social engineering method, which includes common schemes:

They call “from the bank”, report a suspicious transaction and, to ensure the safety of funds, ask for bank card details, a code from an SMS, and a password for Sber Online.
An SMS is received from a number similar to 900 about the funds being credited, after which the scammer calls, reports an error and asks to return the money - transfer it to the card.
The victim is offered investments at a high interest rate - to invest in stocks, binary options, casinos, etc., they just need to transfer the amount to a virtual wallet or simply indicate the card details on the scammers’ website.
You receive a letter “from the bank” with a paid survey or winnings - you need to enter the card details where the funds will be transferred.
The robot calls, reports a fraudulent transfer, and then asks to call the security service - it dictates “its” number, where the victim’s payment information is already obtained.
The call comes “from the prosecutor’s office” or “police” - you need to help catch the scammers and transfer money “to a secure account” belonging to the criminals.
The victim is notified that a new card has been issued - it must be added to the smartphone wallet and the money must be transferred through Sber Online, while the card has nothing to do with the user.

Each method of fraud ends the same way - the attackers steal the client’s money. If you have access to Sber Online, they can not only steal your savings, but also apply for a loan - the victim is left without money and with debts, the loan amounts sometimes reach hundreds of thousands of rubles.

USSD commands for Beeline tariffs

Beeline provides subscribers with service numbers and commands (USSD codes) for all occasions.
These are short requests that manage the tariff plan: check the balance, configure services, change settings. They consist of a combination of special characters (stars and hash marks) and numbers. They are generated in dialing mode and sent to the operator via the call button.

Such a request is processed for 20-30 seconds, after which the changes take effect.

For prepaid payment system

When using such a tariff calculation system, subscribers use the following USSD commands:

*102# - “Balance”. Checking the current balance. Displays the remaining minutes/messages/Internet traffic.
*141*7# — “Availability of “Trust Payment”. It also informs you about the possible credit amount.
*141# - “Trust payment”. Replenishes balance temporarily. After this, you need to deposit your own funds.
07177 - "Extend speed." Extends the duration of your Internet connection for an additional fee.
*122# - “Last 5 debits on the account.” Provides a report of 5 previous expenses from your account.

For postpaid plans

Some commands have the same spelling but provide different information.

For the postpaid system, the following USSD commands are used:

*102# — amount to be paid. Informs about the amount of payment required for further use of the tariff. The calculation is generated before the next write-off date.
*110*06# — rest of the service package (calls/SMS/traffic).
*106# — stock of available messages.
*105# - number of available MMS.

Providing reports:

*110*091# — order account details. The request generates a report on calls made, SMS sent, and megabytes spent.
*110*321# - order a financial report. The team provides the subscriber with information about debits according to the tariff.

To activate a command, you need to enter a certain combination and press the call button.
Requests to extend Internet speed:

*110*4131# - for 1 GB;
*110*4133# - for 3 GB;
*110*4135# - for 5 GB.

General USSD commands

They have the same spelling for all payment plans. Provide general information for all subscribers.

These include the following:

*110*10# — phone number. Displays information about the phone from which it was made on the screen or via SMS.
*110*05# — tariff. Provides information about the current tariff (name and conditions).
*114*4*4*[secret code]*1#—secret code request. Sends the subscriber a password to make payments using a linked bank card.
*110*09# — paid connected services. Informs about current subscriptions for which a subscription fee is charged.
*110*9# - password for Beeline’s “Personal Account”. Generates and sends via SMS a password to log into your account.
*444* telephone, starting with 9 # - checking the subscriber’s affiliation with Beeline. Allows you to determine the operator of the number being checked. The function is useful for subscribers whose tariff plan includes on-net calls. Preliminary review saves the remaining minutes and SMS.
*145*phone number*amount#. Allows you to make transfers to another subscriber.

Why do attackers use the 900 number for calls?

Often, scammers use not ordinary numbers, but telephone numbers similar to official bank contacts - this way they inspire trust on the part of future victims, and the percentage of successful calls increases noticeably. How does this fraudulent scheme succeed? There are several ways to implement it:

substitution of a number using IP telephony services - the client sees the number “900” or the letter “Sber”;
using similar telephone numbers, for example, “+900” or “9OO”, where letters are indicated instead of zeros;
SMS through the service for opening a current account and the DomClick portal - during the call the victim begins to suspect fraud and the scammers offer to send a message from the real number “900” (the SMS comes from the bank, can be sent to any phone);
assistance from bank employees is a rarity, since Sber has carefully thought through security systems and the probability of receiving a call from a real manager, but for fraudulent purposes tends to 0%.

The call can come not only from the “900” number and other official bank contacts, but also from friends and relatives who are asking to borrow money. Messages on social networks work similarly - a “friend” whose page was hacked writes to the victim.

How to check the balance and traffic on a tariff with a postpaid payment system?

Log in to your personal account or the My Beeline mobile application - and you will see issued and paid invoices, current expenses, as well as the balances of minutes, SMS and Internet packages.

*110*45# — “Balance control” function. Expenses for the current period will be sent to your phone via SMS.

*110*321# — . Information about the size of the credit limit, the available balance before blocking, advance payments made (overpayments) and expenses of the current period will be sent via SMS.

How can you tell if a scammer is calling from a 900 number?

You should not rely on the phone number when calling from bank employees - modern technologies allow you to indicate absolutely any information on the victim’s screen. However, it is not difficult to identify intruders when calling, since scammers:

they try to find out information - they ask for passport details, card details, codes from SMS, while real specialists will not ask for such data;
give clear instructions - ask to transfer money, tell which button to press, which application to install;
play on the victim’s fears - they talk about the safety of funds, the protection of savings, the threat of fraud;
get lost if you ask them to provide information - card details, passport details, registration address;
they are in a hurry, informing you that you can only cancel the attackers’ transaction now - if you go to the branch, you will lose precious time, no one will return the money;
gain confidence in other ways, for example, they can send photos of “identifications” and “licenses” to messengers, although real employees will simply offer to visit the nearest office.

Even if the caller provides the client’s personal information, names his full name, date of birth, residential address, there are no guarantees - the information can be obtained from databases sold “on the black market,” as well as from other sources.

Checking your personal account balance on iPad

Go to “Settings”, then in the “Cellular Data” section select “SIM programs”. Open “My Beeline” and select the “My Balance” subsection.

If the balance on the screen is overwritten by service symbols, then you need to disable the CellBroadCast function in the phone menu.

The service is provided in the Beeline network in Russia (in the home network and when traveling around Russia in the Beeline network) (except for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol). If you are traveling around Russia on the networks of other operators, the balance is not displayed on the screen of your device.

What to do if attackers from Sber called?

If you receive a suspicious call, even from an official bank number, you must hang up the call and call Sber back at the numbers listed on the back of the card. Report the incident and ask to check the security - safety of funds, lack of authorization in SberBank Online and submitted loan applications. You should not engage in lengthy conversations with intruders; during communication, you may accidentally disclose personal information. You can also report fraud on the bank’s official website, indicating the caller’s number, date, brief description of the event and contact information - this will help protect other clients.

If, nevertheless, fraudsters with bank cards deceived you, contact SberBank using the official number or branch - ask to block the compromised card, disable Sber Online and interrupt the issuance of credit products, if a corresponding application has been submitted. After taking emergency measures, you must file a report with the police about fraud.

Checking short numbers

You can find out the cost of content for free before you subscribe to it. To do this, send a reply SMS with the symbol “?” to the number from which the content came.

Content providers are independent legal entities engaged by the operator to provide a variety of reference, entertainment and other information, participate in voting, games, competitions and other similar events.

To allow subscribers to access the information resources of content providers through the VimpelCom network, special service (short) numbers are allocated, usually containing four to six digits.

Enter a short number to see the description and cost of SMS or subscription

PJSC VimpelCom understands its responsibility to subscribers and is very attentive to the choice of its partners. In order to cooperate with VimpelCom PJSC, the content provider must meet clear criteria and, before concluding an agreement, provide a complete package of documents established by VimpelCom PJSC.

In order to ensure the protection of the interests of its subscribers, VimpelCom PJSC has established a list of unfair actions of content providers when using short numbers. If dishonest and illegal actions of the content provider are detected, subscribers can contact the subscriber service of PJSC VimpelCom by calling 0611 or leaving a request on the Beeline website. After receiving a complaint, VimpelCom PJSC conducts an inspection and, if violations are confirmed, applies severe penalties to the content provider, including blocking and/or complete withdrawal of service (short) numbers.

The content provider bears full responsibility for the compliance of its services with current legislation and regulations of the Russian Federation. Content provider services: tunes and games, information and reference services, quizzes and much more. It’s easy to order partner services – as a rule, you need to send an SMS or call a short number. Some services are provided by subscription with regular daily charges. The operator is responsible for the high-quality execution of the subscriber's request, carried out up to the point of connection to the information resources of the content provider, and is not responsible for the content of the content provider's service.

Have you noticed any suspicious write-offs in your expense details? You may have a paid subscription. The easiest way to disable paid subscriptions is in the “My Beeline” mobile application, in the “My Subscriptions” section or in your personal account, in the “Connected Services” section.

Do you doubt the need for a connected subscription or service? Enter the short code in the window below and click “Find out details.” You will receive detailed information about the service or subscription: a detailed description, cost and a command to disable it.

Source

How to protect yourself from bank card fraud?

The key rule of protection is to always remain vigilant and not perform any transactions at the request of third parties, even if they pose as friends or bank employees. For prevention purposes, it is recommended:

add Sber numbers to the phone book - they will be displayed when there is an incoming call;
connect notifications about transactions - receive timely information about illegal debits of funds;
do not give your phone or card to strangers, do not leave them unattended;
do not enter card details on dubious sites, even if it is an online store that offers good discounts;
create a separate card for online purchases - put money in only when you are going to spend it;
warn relatives and friends about the intensification of attackers - talk about the schemes encountered, ask them to be more vigilant.

Financial security is a concern not only for the bank, but also for the citizen himself, since 99% of thefts of funds occur using social engineering methods, i.e. the user himself helps the scammers steal money. Protecting yourself from attackers, whose methods of operation are becoming more sophisticated every day, is not easy - you need to remain vigilant and not trust calls even from official bank numbers. Sber doesn’t often call clients, especially since it doesn’t require them to provide passwords via SMS or transfer funds “to a secure account”; this is how only scammers act.

Checking short numbers

You can find out the cost of content for free before you subscribe to it. To do this, send a reply SMS with the symbol “?” to the number from which the content came.

To allow subscribers to access the information resources of content providers through the VimpelCom network, special service (short) numbers are allocated, usually containing four to six digits.