The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has issued a warning about a new fraudulent scheme actively spreading through messaging apps WhatsApp (owned by Meta Platforms Inc., whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation) and Telegram. Scammers are contacting citizens impersonating officials.
The police report that fraudsters are creating fake profiles of regional governors, deputies, officials, and municipal leaders. To appear more convincing, they may use deepfakes in short video calls, explaining poor image quality due to connection issues.
Following this, the victim is informed that they are expected to have a conversation with law enforcement representatives. Then, under the guise of a confidentiality check or the detection of ties to illegal organizations, psychological pressure is exerted on the victim to force them to transfer money to the scammers.
Other schemes used by fraudsters have also been noted. For instance, calls impersonating mobile operators offering to test a service to gain control over the subscriber`s phone number and personal account. Another method involves deceiving prospective students posing as university staff, compelling them to click on phishing links leading to fake government service websites.
