A new wave of fraud targeting Russian university applicants has emerged, with scammers now posing as university psychologists. This alarming scheme was detailed by Alexander Perendzhiev, an associate professor at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and a lead expert at the Moscow Anti-Corruption Committee.
According to Perendzhiev, these fraudsters contact university applicants, insisting that they undergo a psychological test. Following this, they send a phishing link via messenger. Once the applicant clicks the link, they begin receiving calls, purportedly from law enforcement agencies. During these calls, victims are informed of a personal data breach and are then coerced, through threats or blackmail, into secretly taking out a loan or transferring money to the scammers for «safekeeping.»
University admissions committees might call to inform a student about their enrollment status, but they will never demand a psychological test from an applicant.
The expert clarified that while students might be offered surveys to assess their adaptation after enrollment and the start of their studies, or participate in surveys conducted by other students for coursework, these are typically easily verifiable. Most often, such forms are distributed directly within the educational institution.
«As for university psychologists, believe me, even if they wanted to, they don`t have the time to call applicants for testing, not to mention that they are not assigned such a task,» he emphasized.
To avoid falling victim to these scammers, Perendzhiev advises prospective students to meticulously study the admission rules of their chosen universities beforehand. Should they receive a suspicious call, he recommends immediately hanging up and then calling the university directly using the official contact number provided on the educational institution`s website to verify any information.
This warning comes after previous reports of Russian hackers successfully infiltrating corporate chats of Ukrainian call centers that were defrauding citizens in Russia and CIS countries, exposing data about the scammers and their accomplices.
