Russia`s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) has recommended a straightforward way for citizens to protect themselves from scammers: verifying links received through messaging apps.
In a post on the «Bulletin of the Cyberpolice of Russia» Telegram channel, the agency suggested using the VirusTotal website as a simple method to check for phishing attempts or malicious software.
To check a link, users should copy the suspicious web address and paste it into the URL search bar on the VirusTotal portal. The service then analyzes the link against various security providers.
Based on screenshots shared by the MVD, VirusTotal displays the safety status using a color-coded system: green indicates a safe link, while red signals a dangerous one. The Ministry issued a warning, stating, «If even one checked parameter is red, the site being checked is dangerous!»
Previously, the MVD had outlined a scam scheme involving fake job offers where fraudsters asked Russians to type text from scans and then demanded a one-time payment.
Prior to that, it was also reported that scammers had created a counterfeit website mimicking the official MVD site to steal citizens` data. The phishing site used an address similar to the genuine ministry website.
