SMS message from number “6996”: what is it?

Waking up one morning, you may notice that your phone has received an SMS message from the mysterious number 6996, which will contain the following text:

To confirm, send any word, to refuse, press 0. The cost of SMS is *** rubles.

Unfortunately, such messages are used by criminals to steal money from the accounts of MTS subscribers, and the service that facilitates this is called “Easy Payment”. In today’s article we will tell you what an easy payment service from this operator is and how it can be used by unpleasant individuals to their advantage.

Let's get to know each other better

“Easy payment” is undoubtedly one of the most useful services for subscribers of the MTS operator, with which you can pay for various services using funds in your mobile account. Undoubtedly, such a service will be useful to all those who do not want to use bank terminals or Internet banking. To use, you only need two things: the phone itself and Internet access.

from the MTS operator will allow you to do the following:

pay for housing and communal services;
repay various loans;
purchase a variety of goods in online stores;
transfer certain amounts;
pay for the services of your Internet provider, cable television, etc.

Fortunately, this service is enabled by default for many MTS subscribers, however, some users claim that “Easy Payment” is not activated for them. If you have the same situation - and you want to use this service - it can be easily activated in the following ways:

go to your nearest MTS store and local specialists will easily activate this option for you;
the mobile operator will also be able to help you set up this service if you ask him about it;
can be easily configured through your personal account on the official MTS resource;
you can dial *111*656# on your phone;
You can also dial *115# and then send any SMS message to number 6996;
You can also activate using the official mobile application.

Transaction from 6996 “payment completed”: what is it?

A message from a short code with the text “Payment completed” indicates that you have just completed a transaction through Easy Payment. The purchase amount and service commission will be debited from your mobile phone or card. If you did not complete the transaction, it was probably done by scammers. They operate approximately as follows.

Enter the person's number in the payment details.
They wait for an SMS with a confirmation code to arrive.
They rely on your inattention - people often unknowingly approve the payment themselves - or they call with a request to dictate a combination of numbers, counting on the naivety of a random victim.
Confirmation completes the transaction and your accounts are debited for the specified amount.

In the future, to protect yourself, learn to read SMS text carefully and do not transfer confidential data to strangers.

How to disable "Easy payment" MTS 6996

On many tariffs, the option is provided by default; you do not need to activate it. And since there is no monthly fee, people most often find out about it after receiving an SMS from a service number. There are 2 answers to the question “How to disable the “Easy Payment” service.”

So how does Easy Payment work?

Let's now see how to use. For example, when you need to pay for some product in an online store, you can select the option to pay for the product from your mobile phone account, and then enter your number. As soon as you do this, a special SMS message from number 6996 will be sent to your phone, which will indicate the required payment amount. All you need to do after this is send confirmation in the form of another SMS to the same number 6996.

However, if you are not sure of your actions or, for example, you realized that you are trying to pay for the wrong product, then you need to send an SMS message with the number 0 to, again, number 6996. If you decide to make a payment , then know that the MTS operator will charge you about five percent of the payment amount as payment for the provision of its services.

Is this service necessary?

Above, we figured out what the 6996 MTS service is, why it is needed, and how it can be useful for the company’s clients. This option simplifies life in many cases and allows you to remotely make payments for housing and communal services, TV, purchases in stores, etc.

But there is also a downside to “Easy Payment” from MTS - fraud.
Attackers are increasingly taking advantage of people's gullibility and trying to steal their money. The threat can be prevented by following the tips above and not responding to suspicious messages from 9669 from MTS. As a last resort, the service can always be disabled. In any case, be vigilant, and then no one will be able to take advantage of your money. If our article helped you, please like it!

How can attackers exploit it?

As you understand, it is very simple and extremely convenient to use in everyday affairs. However, unfortunately, this service has recently acquired a rather negative reputation, all due to the fact that many criminals use it to steal money from the accounts of many MTS subscribers.

Let's look at what types of schemes most scammers use:

The simplest scheme is to withdraw money from the subscriber’s account with the help of the subscriber himself. Yes, some people don’t even think about what comes to them on the phone and do everything that is required of them in the message. You might think that this is an extremely unlikely option, yet many people have lost their money from their mobile account in this way: they see an SMS and send a confirmation to the number in it.
The other scheme is a little more complicated, but it can work just as well with inattentive people. The attacker uses the number of a specific subscriber on , and then calls the subscriber and claims that some error has occurred. Next, the attacker tearfully asks the subscriber to help him by sending a confirmation SMS to number 6996, after which another SMS with a code will be sent back. Of course, there is no return SMS and the subscriber simply loses the money in his account or even from his bank card, if it is linked to the number.
We will include the last two schemes in one paragraph, since they both involve the use of malicious software. Yes, today attackers can infect your phone or even your computer with special software with which they will rip you off. In the first case, the software gets onto your smartphone and performs certain operations on it, so skillfully that you won’t even notice anything. In the second case, your PC is infected, after which the virus blocks access to it, and the message “send an SMS to 6996 to gain access to your computer” is displayed on the screen. It’s clear that some people send SMS and are left both without money and without access to a PC.

Questions from subscribers

Among the many questions from subscribers about the 6996 service, we have selected the most frequently asked:

What happens if I send an SMS to number 6996?

When you send a reply SMS to this number, money will be debited from your account in the amount specified in the transaction message.

How to block number 6996?

To block a number, you need to dial the number combination *152*2# or simply add it to your phone’s blacklist. After this, SMS should not arrive.

Action plan in case of receiving an SMS from number 6996

Having become fully familiar with it, you should understand that an SMS from number 6996 cannot arrive on your mobile phone without any action on your part, and therefore this is an attempt by attackers to extract money from you. Let's see what you can do when you receive such an SMS.

Do absolutely nothing: just ignore the SMS you receive from this number. Without your participation, the money in the account is completely safe.
It is highly recommended to scan your smartphone with some reliable antivirus tool to ensure that no malware has entered your device.
You can always protect yourself by calling the MTS operator and asking him to turn off your service if you do not use it at all.
Of course, the same can be done at any MTS salon, but there you will also need to provide your passport.
Disabling can also be done from your personal account on the official website of the MTS operator, in the section for managing personal payments.
Among other things, you can cancel this service by simply calling *152*2# from your phone.

Transaction from 6996 “Payment completed”: what is it

If you receive an alert from number 6996 with the words “Payment completed” , this indicates that the transaction has been completed thanks to “Easy Payment” . The purchase price and penalty for the actions performed will be written off. If the subscriber has not made payments, it is possible that they were made by a fraudster . It works like this:

Enter the number in the payment details.
Waits for an SMS with a confirmation code to arrive on the client’s mobile number.
He calls asking for the code , hoping for a mistake on the part of the client.
The transaction is confirmed by entering the code.
The required amount is debited from the account.

How to protect yourself from scammers?

The presented option allows you to pay for various services from your mobile phone, transfer funds to the card and back, top up the balance of other subscribers, etc. Any service related to funds (including transfers from MTS to MTS) has always been a bait for scammers. How does fraud manifest itself when used, and how to disable it if you have become a victim of deception?

Alas, almost any attacker can obtain a subscriber’s number in a dishonest way (leaked databases, purchasing from companies, etc.), then open an electronic wallet and create a request for a money transfer.

From the number "NUMBER ">' data-sheets-userformat='<"2":513,"3":<"1":0>,"12":0>'> 6996 the subscriber will receive a code for making transfers. To find out this code, the scammer calls the subscriber, introducing himself as an MTS employee, and then asks to call him under some important pretext. Having received the secret code, the scammer confirms the operation, after which he debits the funds from his victim’s account.

Therefore, all operators warn customers not to tell their codes to anyone, even those who are called representatives of the operator.
But people don’t listen and continue to fall for the scammers’ bait.
The situation is easy to avoid, since you can disable 6996 on MTS in different ways - even users who are not the most advanced in modern technology can cope with this.

Fraud

Fraudsters use it in their illegal activities. In this way, they steal funds from the operator’s clients from their account balances. The attackers indicate the payment details and phone number of the person from whose mobile balance the funds will be debited. Next, the payment is made, and the unsuspecting subscriber receives a message from number 6996.

Next, the scammer calls the victim and asks him to name the code that came in the corresponding SMS. In this case, they often introduce themselves as an employee of the operator or refer to an error in the process of filling out information. If the subscriber provides the code, funds are withdrawn from his account to pay for the purchase.

You may also receive a message from number 6996 indicating that there are insufficient funds to make a payment. This means that the attacker tried to make a purchase, the cost of which exceeds the amount available on the subscriber’s balance.

Content ban

Another option to solve the problem is to activate the “Content Ban”. In this case, the previously mentioned option will be disabled. It will be possible to connect it again only after the “Content Ban” is lifted.

Activation of the ban occurs as follows:

Turn on mobile/tablet.
Dial command *152*2#.
Click on the “Call subscriber” button.
Wait for a message about successful connection.

After this, you cannot use the “Easy Payment” (MTS) option. The theft of money when activating the “Content Ban” is reduced to a minimum.

to MTS without an operator

If you don’t want to contact the company, but want to solve the problem without an operator, use USSD commands.

Dial *111# from your mobile phone and click “Call”. When the request goes away and a window for sending commands appears on the screen, enter first 5, then 1. You will receive the results of the operation in a response message.
Enter the number *152*2#, corresponding to the “Content Ban”, and follow the instructions of the system. You must use the command to block the sending of a message from 6996 - you can definitely handle it yourself.

If the methods do not work and you still receive confirmation codes, try calling support and explaining the situation. Usually the operator meets clients halfway and helps them get rid of unnecessary expenses.

How to disable a service - methods and procedure

Today there are several shutdown methods:

Call the telecom operator , come to the salon.
Command method for managing balance. This has its advantages: speed of the operation, no Internet access required. To disable the option, the client must dial *152*2#.
Dial the combination *111# and the “Call” key . A window for sending commands will appear on the phone screen. You need to dial command No5, then No1 . The result of the operation will be communicated via SMS.
Disabling through your personal account. The main advantage is that you don’t have to contact operators. To do this you need:

log in to the MTS website;

pass authorization;

enter the auto payments section;

in the connected operations section, uncheck unused ones;

confirm your actions.

The advantage of this option is that you can log into your personal account not only from a computer, but also from a smartphone.