Executive producer of "Suspilne" lost 300,000 hryvnias due to cyber fraudsters

Executive producer of "Suspilne" lost 300,000 hryvnias due to cyber fraudsters

Cybercriminals stole 300,000 hryvnias from "Suspilne" executive producer Nataliya through the Monobank app. This happened on October 1st while Nataliya was abroad.

She reported about it on her Facebook page.

“A call came to my mobile from the number +38044…, where an automated voice informed about “log in to my Monobank account” and suggested pressing buttons to confirm or deny. After my “denial of entry,” I was connected to a “bank employee,” who said that someone from Dnipro logged into my account from a tablet and opened an installment plan for me,” Nataliya explained.

Then, according to her, there was a mini-lecture on cybersecurity: how to pay online, how to set up Face ID so that only she could confirm transactions.

“We even “linked a photo” for Face ID — and the connection was lost. Then they called me back via Viber. The “employee” informed that the intruder opened an installment for 150,000 and it needed to be urgently closed. He spoke quickly, constantly hurried, emphasized not to give him any personal information, but only to press the red buttons and to check that Face ID was working. At some point, I was already transferring funds to some numbers — and then to the “individual entrepreneur of the bank employee” to “get my money back,” Nataliya reported.

The executive producer of "Suspilne" says that all three transactions for tens of thousands were processed by Monobank without any additional confirmation — just with the press of a button. When she realized it was fraud, she wrote in the bank’s Telegram chat. They replied that they were not communicating with her by phone at that time and blocked the card.

“And so — the fraudster saw this. Asked why I blocked it. To my “you are a fraudster,” he calmly said that if that were the case, no one would talk to me anymore, and asked to stay on the line to “switch to tech support” and “unblock the card.” Then I hung up. He called a few more times later. Then a message came that he had already withdrawn 100,000, and perhaps I could return the rest,” Nataliya said and added that she filed a report with the cyber police the same day.

The executive producer of "Suspilne" went public with the incident to warn others.