Bulgarian Police Report Boom in Phishing Attacks, Rock Star among Victims

There's a boom in bank card scams after internet purchases in Bulgaria. This is what dozens of Nova TV viewers report. Among the victims is rock singer Milena Slavova. Why did her bank account was emptied of over 700 euros? And how does the latest cybercriminals' scheme work? Cybersecurity expert Georgi Georgiev, guest of the On Your Side show answers.

In just one day, the General Directorate for Organized Crime Combat received 70 reports of fraud on the Internet, as there are thousands of defrauded victims so far.  Under the latest scheme, to pretend to be legitimate, fraudsters use the name and logo of a courier company.

This time the targets are not buyers, but sellers who have posted sale ads for various goods. To be paid for the order, they are referred to fake payment pages that imitate the website of courier companies. Instead of getting their money, however, their bank accounts were emptied. A month ago, the singer Milena Slavova discovered that her bank account was skimmed.

"One morning I saw that I was out  EUR 29 from the card," she said.

After a quick review of the transactions, she realizes that the missing amount is not a one-time withdrawal, but someone did it every month. "Hidden" fees, it turns out, begin to pile up after a purchase from a foreign site. Upon registration, the singer enters a name as well as card information to pay automatically when ordering on the platform.

She was unaware, however, that her personal data activates a monthly subscription to a completely unknown site.

 "So, for two years every 5th of the month I have been out EUR 29," Milena said.

In two years more than 700 euros has been withdrawn from her card. Milena sought assistance from the bank and they blocked her card right...