Kaliningrad, Kalinigrad, Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Introduction. The article examines the phenomenon of remote thefts committed through information and telecommunication technologies and social engineering methods. The article emphasizes the growing number of such crimes, their mass nature and significant material damage. In particular, it is noted that more than 60% of crimes are committed through psychological impact on the victim in order to gain access to funds or confidential information. Particular attention is paid to the insufficient digital and financial literacy of victims, as well as the peculiarities of manipulations based on the exploitation of emotions (fear, greed, altruism, etc.). Methods. The study, the results of which are presented in the article, is based on the analysis of statistical data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and the Bank of Russia for 2020-2024, the study of materials of judicial and investigative practice, domestic and foreign scientific publications. In the course of the work, an interdisciplinary approach was used: a formal-legal analysis of regulatory acts and practice was used, cases of typical crimes were studied, and a criminological systematization of social engineering methods was performed. A comparison of psychological techniques with their digital and speech manifestations, as well as average portraits of criminals and victims was carried out. Results. Ten basic methods of social engineering are identified and described, including phishing, vishing, pretexting, interface substitution and manipulation of emotional states of victims. A criminological and psychological portrait of criminals using such methods is presented: these are men aged 22-36 years old, with communication and acting skills, with a reduced level of empathy. It has been confirmed that in the cases under consideration the main factor of victimization is a combination of low digital literacy and a high degree of susceptibility to the emotional impact of the victim of the crime. Recommendations for the prevention of remote thefts have been formulated, which include, in particular, technical measures for filtering suspicious communications and the use of legislative deferrals for disputed transfers, as well as training citizens in critical perception of information threats
Remote theft, social engineering, fraud methods, cybercrime, information and telecommunication technologies, emotional impact, psychological techniques