A database with the data of Russians stuck abroad because of the coronavirus and returning to their homeland was put up for sale, its authenticity has not been confirmed, said Ashot Hovhannisyan, Technical Director of DeviceLock.
According to him, the first announcement of the sale appeared in late April. The seller asked for 240 thousand dollars for the database and claimed that it contained 79.6 thousand lines.
The seller did not provide any evidence that this database exists and it is authentic, and a few days later removed the advertisement.
In June, a similar offer appeared from another seller, who claims that the database is relevant for the current month and it has about 115 thousand lines. The data was estimated at 66.6 bitcoins (about 627 thousand dollars).
"Based on the samples provided by the seller, we can say that the database contains 58 columns, including full name, date of birth, passport data, address, phone number, e-mail, date of entry and exit from Russia, date of application on the public services portal, as well as Bank card and account data, passport data and country of location," said Hovhannisyan.
He explained that, most likely, the database was copied when it was transferring from one Department to another via electronic communication channels.
Expert added that it is also likely that this is a fake, since the seller put an unusually high price and did not confirm the authenticity of the data, except for screenshots with 34 lines.
The expert warned that if the database exists, victims may receive phishing emails about allegedly accrued compensation and receive calls from fraudsters asking them to name the code from the Internet Bank.
According to Hovhannisyan, the seller writes that he uses the database for carding, purchasing App Store & iTunes Gift Card gift certificates with the existing card details, which he then sells.
