The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) has issued a warning to Russians about a current scam scheme operating on messenger apps WhatsApp and Telegram. Fraudsters are actively contacting individuals, impersonating government officials.
The MVD reported via the «Bulletin of Russian Cyberpolice» Telegram channel that criminals are creating fake accounts in messengers, posing as heads of Russian regions, representatives of local legislative and executive authorities, and heads of local self-government bodies. To enhance credibility during interactions with potential victims, they may even utilize deepfake technology to simulate brief video calls, attributing poor quality to alleged connection issues.
Subsequently, the fraudsters inform the victim about an impending conversation with law enforcement. According to the MVD, «Under the pretext of verifying secrecy and alleged facts of financing illegal organizations, psychological pressure will be exerted on the citizen to coerce them into handing over money to the criminals.»
In related news, it was previously reported that scammers had begun calling Russians, impersonating telecom operators and offering to test a new function. The objective is to gain control over the subscriber`s personal account and take over their phone number.
Additionally, fraudsters have started deceiving university applicants by posing as university staff. They persuade victims to follow a phishing link that leads to a fake duplicate of the «Gosuslugi» (State Services) website.
