TV presenter Valentyna Khamayko became a victim of Internet fraud
The host of “Breakfast. Weekend” on 1+1 Ukraine channel, Valentyna Khamayko, suffered from fraudsters – her Telegram account was hijacked. The thieves asked for money on her behalf.
The fraud scheme was reported on 1+1 Breakfast. Attackers use special bots to find out a person’s number and steal data, and then organize fake fundraisers among the victim’s friends!
Valentyna ‘s tablet is connected to Telegram, and it is there that her younger daughter Myroslava listens to audiobooks at night. One day, the girl wanted to start an audio story for herself, but she couldn’t get into Telegram because the app required authorization. The hostess in the evening did not attach any importance to this.
The next day, an acquaintance called her to ask if she was really texting him. Then Hamayko learned that fraudsters were asking for large sums of money on her behalf. When I picked up the phone, I couldn’t log into Telegram because the password had already been changed. And then her friends started sending her screenshots of correspondence in other messengers, where they talked about large amounts of cryptocurrency that the host allegedly asked her friends for.
The attackers were skillful in their dialog, adapting to the individual interlocutor and “pressing” on pain points – as if they needed money for Valentyna’s husband Andriy, who is now at the front.
“You are so scared at this moment and have a sense of guilt that other people have suffered because of their trust in you. Even my sister’s husband believed me. They used the previous correspondence, they saw how I address people,” the host says in the story of “Breakfast with 1+1”.
Valentyna immediately posted warning messages on social media, called her mobile operator, and contacted the cyber police. So far, it is known that several of her friends believed the scammers and sent large sums of money to the e-wallet.
Valentina Khamayko
They asked not for ordinary money, but for USDT, which is money in the world of cryptocurrencies. 1 USDT is equal to 1 dollar in real life. According to cryptocurrency experts, it is extremely difficult to identify the owner of an electronic wallet. This makes it harder to catch a fraudster.
Crimes like the one that happened to Valentyna Khamaiko became more frequent during the full-scale war. For example, Olena Kravets told us about a similar case of fraud. So the main thing now is not to lose vigilance and not to follow dubious links in various messengers. Do not rush to send money until you have personally talked to the person asking for financial assistance. And in any dangerous situation, contact the cyber police.
Photo: press service
