Fraudsters have devised a new scheme to target Russian men, posing as employees of military enlistment offices. Under the guise of requiring registration on the Ministry of Defense website, these criminals are stealing money and gaining unauthorized access to individuals` “Gosuslugi” (Public Services) accounts. This critical warning was issued by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), as reported by the TASS news agency.
How the Scam Unfolds
The scam typically begins with an unknown individual contacting a man via a messenger application, falsely identifying themselves as a representative from a military enlistment office. The caller pressures the victim to bring missing documents to the enlistment office and simultaneously complete an online registration process on the Ministry of Defense website.
During this supposed registration, a verification code is sent to the man`s phone. The scammer then convinces the victim to provide this code. Once the code is transmitted, the fraudsters gain full control over the victim`s Gosuslugi account, which holds sensitive personal information and provides access to various government services.
The Second Phase: Financial Extortion
Following the initial data theft, the victim often receives subsequent calls, this time from individuals falsely claiming to represent Roskomnadzor (the federal service for supervision of communications) or the FSB (Federal Security Service). These callers demand that the victim transfer their funds to a “secure account,” ostensibly to protect them from further illicit activity.
Should the victim comply with these instructions and transfer their money, they will inevitably lose their funds to the criminals. The Ministry of Internal Affairs strongly advises citizens to remain vigilant and to never comply with the demands of such purported officials.
Broader Trend of Online Fraud
Officials have noted a concerning increase in similar fraudulent schemes. For instance, Russians were previously warned about scams exploiting Google Meet. Such methods are becoming more prevalent, partly due to the widespread popularity of these applications, which are often pre-installed on many Android smartphones, making them easy targets for exploitation by cybercriminals.
