The rising reputation of on-line marketplaces has attracted fraudsters preying on unsuspecting patrons and sellers, trying to rating cost card data somewhat than to strike a discount. ESET researchers have discovered that one such organized scammer community – which makes use of Telekopye, a toolkit found by ESET Analysis in 2023 – has expanded its operations to focus on customers of well-liked lodging reserving platforms.
Final yr, we revealed a two-part blogpost collection on Telekopye, a Telegram-based toolkit cybercriminals use to rip-off individuals on on-line marketplaces. The primary half targeted on Telekopye’s key options, whereas the second half examined the inside workings of the affiliated rip-off teams. On this blogpost, we observe up on what has modified in Telekopye operations since our final publication, primarily based on our continued monitoring. We glance into how these scammer teams have branched out to focusing on Reserving.com and Airbnb, in addition to their varied different efforts to optimize their operations and maximize monetary acquire. Final however not least, we offer steering on the best way to keep protected against these scams.
We offered our up to date findings on Telekopye on the Virus Bulletin convention on October 2nd, 2024, and in our white paper, which you’ll be able to learn in full right here. The paper was additionally revealed on the Virus Bulletin web site.
Key factors of this blogpost:
ESET Analysis shares up to date findings on Telekopye, a rip-off toolkit designed to assist cybercriminals defraud individuals on on-line marketplaces.
Whereas our earlier analysis explored the technical and organizational background of Telekopye scams, our newest analysis describes the scammers’ varied efforts to maximise their monetary beneficial properties – increasing their sufferer pool, benefiting from seasonal alternatives, and enhancing their instruments and operations.
Most notably, Telekopye teams have expanded their focusing on to well-liked lodging reserving platforms, akin to Reserving.com and Airbnb.
This new rip-off situation comes with a focusing on twist, using compromised accounts of official inns and lodging suppliers.
These scams had been particularly prevalent in the summertime vacation season within the focused areas, surpassing Telekopye market scams, based on ESET telemetry.
Telekopye overview
Telekopye is a toolkit that operates as a Telegram bot, primarily serving as a Swiss Military knife for turning on-line market scams into an organized illicit enterprise. It’s utilized by dozens of rip-off teams, with as much as 1000’s of members, to steal thousands and thousands from Mammoths, as they name the focused patrons and sellers. Neanderthals, as we name the scammers, require little to no technical information – Telekopye takes care of the whole lot in a matter of seconds.
Found by ESET Analysis in 2023, Telekopye has been in use since no less than 2016, with victims all around the world. A number of leads level to Russia because the nation of origin of the bot’s writer(s) and likewise the scammers utilizing it. Telekopye is designed to focus on a big number of on-line providers in Europe and North America, akin to OLX, Vinted, eBay, Wallapop, and others. On the time of writing, we’ve counted roughly 90 totally different providers being focused by the scams.
Neanderthals – members of any Telegram group using Telekopye – acquire entry to the bot’s UI, which permits easy era of phishing emails, SMS messages, internet pages, and different options.
Telekopye teams have a business-like operation, with a transparent hierarchy, outlined roles, inner practices – together with admission and mentoring processes for newcomers – fastened working hours, and fee payouts for Telekopye directors. The Staff performing the scams should flip over any delicate data stolen, and don’t truly steal any cash – that’s managed by different roles within the group. Every group retains a clear chat of all transactions, seen to all members.
Neanderthals make the most of two most important eventualities for focusing on on-line marketplaces – one the place they pose as sellers and one other, far more widespread, the place they pose as patrons. Each eventualities finish with the sufferer/Mammoth getting into cost card data or on-line banking credentials right into a phishing internet web page mimicking a cost gateway.
Not too long ago, Telekopye teams have expanded their focusing on by including assist for scamming customers of well-liked on-line platforms for reserving lodging, which we cowl within the following part.
Branching out to lodging reserving platforms
In 2024, Telekopye teams have expanded their scamming playbook with schemes focusing on customers of well-liked on-line platforms for resort and condominium reservations, akin to Reserving.com and Airbnb. They’ve additionally elevated the sophistication of their sufferer choice and focusing on.
Focusing on with a twist
On this new rip-off situation, Neanderthals contact a focused person of considered one of these platforms, claiming that there’s a difficulty with the person’s reserving cost. The message accommodates a hyperlink to a well-crafted, legitimate-looking internet web page mimicking the abused platform.
The web page accommodates prefilled details about a reserving, such because the check-in and checkout dates, worth, and placement. This comes with a troubling twist: the information offered on the fraudulent pages matches actual bookings made by the focused customers.
The Neanderthals obtain this by using compromised accounts of official inns and lodging suppliers on the platforms, which they more than likely entry by way of stolen credentials bought on cybercriminal boards. Utilizing their entry to those accounts, scammers single out customers who lately booked a keep and haven’t paid but – or paid very lately – and call them by way of in-platform chat. Relying on the platform and the Mammoth’s settings, this results in the Mammoth receiving an e-mail or SMS from the reserving platform.
This makes the rip-off a lot tougher to identify, as the data offered is personally related to the victims, arrives by way of the anticipated communication channel, and the linked, pretend web sites look as anticipated. The one seen signal of one thing being amiss are the web sites’ URLs, which don’t match these of the impersonated, official web sites. Neanderthals can also use their very own e-mail addresses for the preliminary communication (somewhat than the compromised accounts), during which case the emails is perhaps extra simply acknowledged as malicious.
As soon as the goal fills out the shape on the phishing web page (Determine 1), they’re dropped at the ultimate step of the “reserving” – a type requesting cost card data (Determine 2). As within the market scams, card particulars entered into the shape are harvested by the Neanderthals and used to steal cash from the Mammoth’s card.
Determine 1. Instance of a pretend Reserving.com type created by Telekopye
Determine 2. Instance of a pretend Reserving.com cost type created by Telekopye
In line with ESET telemetry, one of these rip-off began gaining traction in 2024. As seen in Determine 3, the accommodation-themed scams noticed a pointy uptick in July, surpassing the unique Telekopye market scams for the primary time, with greater than double the detections throughout that month. In August and September, the detection ranges for the 2 classes evened out.
As this improve coincides with the summer season vacation season within the focused areas – prime time for benefiting from individuals reserving stays – it stays to be seen whether or not this development will proceed. Wanting on the general 2024 knowledge, we are able to see that these newer scams have amassed roughly half of the detection numbers of {the marketplace} variants. That is noteworthy contemplating that the newer scams give attention to two platforms solely, in comparison with the wide range of on-line marketplaces focused by Telekopye.
Determine 3. Forms of on-line providers focused by Telekopye in 2024, seven-day transferring common detection development
Superior Telekopye options
Moreover diversifying their goal portfolio, Neanderthals have additionally improved their instruments and operations to extend their monetary returns.
All through our monitoring of Telekopye, we’ve noticed that totally different Telegram teams implement their very own superior options into the toolkit, geared toward rushing up the rip-off course of, enhancing communication with targets, defending phishing web sites in opposition to disruption by rivals, and different objectives.
Automated phishing web page era
To hurry up the method of making rip-off supplies for posing as patrons on marketplaces, Neanderthals applied internet scrapers for well-liked focused platforms. With these, solely the URL to the product is required, as an alternative of getting to manually fill out a questionnaire in regards to the focused Mammoth and product in query. Telekopye parses the net web page and extracts all vital data robotically, offering a big speedup for the scammers.
Interactive chatbot with on-the-fly translation
Neanderthals preserve a big assortment of predefined solutions to questions generally requested by Mammoths. These are translated into varied languages and saved as a part of inner documentation, with the translations perfected over time.
Neanderthals usually use these predefined phrases to attempt to direct the Mammoth to the phishing web site, which comes with a chatbot within the decrease proper nook. Any message the Mammoth enters into the chat is forwarded to the Neanderthal’s Telegram chat, the place it’s robotically translated. Automated translation of Neanderthals’ messages is just not supported – Neanderthals translate their messages manually, normally utilizing DeepL. Determine 3 exhibits how such an interplay seems from the Neanderthal’s and Mammoth’s factors of view.
Determine 4. Chatbot instance from Neanderthal’s (left) and Mammoth’s (proper) factors of view. Neanderthal messages had been machine translated from Russian to English.
Anti-DDoS measures
The overwhelming majority of the phishing web sites are serviced by Cloudflare, counting on that service’s added safety, primarily in opposition to crawlers and automated evaluation. Curiously, a few of the Telekopye phishing web sites additionally include DDoS safety included. In line with the Neanderthals’ information base, which we obtained by infiltrating their ranks, this characteristic goals to guard in opposition to assaults by rival teams. These are generally launched as a way to disrupt a competitor’s operations for a brief interval.
Legislation enforcement operations
In late 2023, after ESET Analysis had revealed its two-part collection on Telekopye, Czech and Ukrainian police arrested tens of cybercriminals using Telekopye, together with the important thing gamers, in two joint operations. Each operations had been aimed in opposition to an unspecified variety of Telekopye teams, which had accrued no less than €5 million (roughly US$5.5 million) since 2021, primarily based on police estimates.
Moreover the plain success in disrupting such felony actions, the arrests offered new insights into the teams’ workings, most notably recruitment and employment practices. The teams in query had been managed, from devoted workspaces, by middle-aged males from Japanese Europe and West and Central Asia. They recruited individuals in troublesome life conditions, by job portal postings promising “straightforward cash”, in addition to by focusing on technically expert international college students at universities.
Some perpetrators confessed that in addition they participated in one other rip-off group, much like the Telekopye ones, that utilized name facilities. The police discovered that the recruits in that operation had been usually stripped of their passports and private IDs to make quitting very troublesome. Additional, the managers generally went as far as to threaten the workers and their relations. This chilling improvement places these operations into a totally totally different mild.
Suggestions
The easiest way to remain protected in opposition to scams pushed by Telekopye is being conscious of Neanderthals’ ways and exercising warning on the affected platforms. Moreover realizing what crimson flags to concentrate to, we strongly advocate utilizing a good antimalware answer in your gadget to step in if you happen to do find yourself being lured to a phishing web site.
On-line market scams
At all times confirm the particular person you might be speaking with, primarily their historical past on the platform, age of their account, score, and placement – a location too distant, a recent account with no historical past, or a foul score is perhaps indicators of a scammer.
With the enhancements in machine translation, messages from a scammer won’t increase any crimson flags by way of grammar. Somewhat than specializing in the language, give attention to the dialog itself – overly keen or assertive communication ought to increase some considerations.
Maintain the communication on the platform, even when the particular person you’re speaking to suggests in any other case. Their unwillingness to remain on the platform needs to be a serious crimson flag.
If you’re a purchaser, use safe interfaces inside the platform all through the entire shopping for course of, every time accessible. In any other case, insist on in-person trade of products and cash, or prepare in your selection of dependable supply providers with the choice to pay on supply.
If you’re a vendor, use safe interfaces inside the platform all through the entire promoting course of, every time accessible. In any other case, handle supply choices your self and don’t conform to these supplied by the client.
In the event you get to some extent the place you do go to a hyperlink despatched by the particular person you might be speaking to, remember to fastidiously test the URL, content material, and certificates properties of the web site earlier than participating with it.
Lodging reserving scams
Earlier than filling out any varieties associated to your reserving, all the time be sure to haven’t left the official web site or app of the platform in query. Being directed to an exterior URL to proceed together with your reserving and cost is an indicator of a attainable rip-off.
As a result of this rip-off makes use of compromised accounts of lodging suppliers, contacting the suppliers immediately is just not a dependable method of verifying the legitimacy of cost requests. When doubtful, contact the official buyer assist of the platform (Reserving.com, Airbnb) or report a safety subject (Reserving.com, Airbnb).
To guard your account from compromise, whether or not you’re reserving lodging or renting one out, use a powerful password and allow two-factor authentication wherever accessible.
Conclusion
Our analysis into Telekopye actions has given us distinctive insights into these scams: we had been capable of perceive the technical means behind the scope of the operations, the enterprise facet of Telekopye teams, and even find out about Neanderthals themselves.
We’ve got described the teams’ varied efforts to maximise their monetary beneficial properties, together with increasing their sufferer pool, benefiting from seasonal alternatives, and enhancing their instruments and operations. Most notably, we’ve detailed the Neanderthals’ latest strategy of focusing on lodging reserving platforms, which additionally comes with extra subtle focusing on.
It’s value noting that we’ve communicated with a number of platforms focused by Telekopye all through our analysis; they’re totally conscious of those scams and confirmed they’ve employed a number of ways to fight them. Nonetheless, warning continues to be suggested for customers as a result of variety of the scams and their steady evolution.
For any inquiries about our analysis revealed on WeLiveSecurity, please contact us at threatintel@eset.com.
ESET Analysis gives personal APT intelligence stories and knowledge feeds. For any inquiries about this service, go to the ESET Menace Intelligence web page.
IoCs
Information
SHA-1
Filename
Detection
Description
E815A879F7F30FB492D4043F0F8C67584B869F32
rip-off.php
PHP/HackTool.Telekopye.B
Telekopye bot.
378699D285325E905375AF33FDEB3276D479A0E2
rip-off.php
PHP/HackTool.Telekopye.B
Telekopye bot.
242CE4AF01E24DB054077BCE3C86494D0284B781
123.php
PHP/HackTool.Telekopye.A
Telekopye bot.
9D1EE6043A8B6D81C328C3B84C94D7DCB8611262
mell.php
PHP/HackTool.Telekopye.B
Telekopye bot.
B0189F20983A891D0B9BEA2F77B64CC5A15E364B
neddoss.php
PHP/HackTool.Telekopye.A
Telekopye bot.
E39A30AD22C327BBBD2B02D73B1BC8CDD3E999EA
nscode.php
PHP/HackTool.Telekopye.A
Telekopye bot.
285E0573EF667C6FB7AEB1608BA1AF9E2C86B452
tinkoff.php
PHP/HackTool.Telekopye.A
Telekopye bot.
Community
IP
Area
Internet hosting supplier
First seen
Particulars
N/A
3-dsecurepay[.]com
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-05-30
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
approveine[.]com
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-06-28
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
audittravelerbookdetails[.]com
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-06-01
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
btsdostavka-uz[.]ru
TIMEWEB-RU
2024-01-02
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
burdchoureserdoc[.]com
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-05-31
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
check-629807-id[.]high
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-05-30
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
contact-click2399[.]com
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-05-26
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
contact-click7773[.]com
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-05-30
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
get3ds-safe[.]data
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-05-31
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
hostelguest[.]com
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-05-30
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
order-9362[.]click on
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-05-29
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
shiptakes[.]data
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-05-29
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
quickroombook[.]com
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-06-02
Telekopye phishing area.
N/A
validation-confi[.]data
Cloudflare, Inc.
2024-05-29
Telekopye phishing area.
MITRE ATT&CK strategies
This desk was constructed utilizing model 15 of the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
Tactic
ID
Identify
Description
Reconnaissance
T1589
Collect Sufferer Identification Info
Telekopye is used to collect cost card particulars, cellphone numbers, e-mail addresses, and so forth. by way of phishing internet pages.
Useful resource Growth
T1583.001
Purchase Infrastructure: Domains
Telekopye operators register their very own domains.
T1585
Set up Accounts
Telekopye operators set up accounts at on-line marketplaces.
T1585.002
Set up Accounts: E mail Accounts
Telekopye operators arrange e-mail addresses related to the domains they register.
T1586.002
Compromise Accounts: E mail Accounts
Telekopye operators use compromised e-mail accounts to extend their stealthiness.
T1587.001
Develop Capabilities: Malware
Telekopye is customized malware.
T1588.002
Acquire Capabilities: Instrument
Telekopye operators use further bots to launder cash, scrape market analysis, and implement DDoS safety.
Preliminary Entry
T1566.002
Phishing: Spearphishing Hyperlink
Telekopye sends e-mail or SMS messages that comprise hyperlinks to phishing web sites.
Assortment
T1056.003
Enter Seize: Net Portal Seize
Net pages created by Telekopye seize delicate data and report it to the operators.