Fraudsters have started contacting Russians by pretending to be employees of major online marketplaces. State Duma member Anton Nemkin of the Information Policy Committee revealed this new deception method.
According to the deputy, these scammers, posing as marketplace support staff, reach out to users claiming suspicious account activity or technical issues. During the conversation, they build trust with the victim and attempt to extract sensitive information like bank card details or SMS verification codes. Nemkin also warned that they might try to trick people into clicking malicious links.
«Cases where fraudsters report a supposedly large order placed on the account and then offer to cancel it by having the user dictate a code or install remote access software are especially dangerous,» the parliamentarian highlighted. He clarified that legitimate marketplace representatives never initiate calls to users and would not ask for bank card information, SMS codes, or require the installation of third-party applications.
To protect against these malicious calls, Nemkin advised against answering calls from unknown numbers, avoiding clicking links in SMS messages, and never sharing personal data with anyone over the phone. «If you have any doubts, it`s best to end the call and contact the marketplace directly through their official website or app,» he concluded.
Earlier reports warned Russians about similar fraudulent schemes operating via WhatsApp and Telegram, where criminals were impersonating government officials.
