Scammers in Yekaterinburg Infiltrate Building Chat Groups

In Yekaterinburg, scammers have begun using building chat groups to gain access to residents« personal data. Under the pretext of installing a new free access control system, they ask residents to provide their apartment number and the number of passes needed.

One victim almost became a local resident named Alena. A message about the planned intercom installation appeared in the chat of her building on Soboleva Street. When the woman sent the requested information, she received a call asking her to dictate the code from an SMS — which was actually a login code for the Gosuslugi portal.

Alena realized the mistake almost immediately and went to the MFC, where she restored access to her account. However, afterward she was inundated with threats from the scammer. «Old fool, send it to yourself! It was the code for «Gosuslugi». I«m already downloading your documents, expect a message from the bank about money deduction and loans. Get ready to sell your apartment,» the fraudster wrote.

Despite the intimidation, the woman managed to keep her funds, and no financial loss occurred.

In the Yekaterinburg police noted that scammers« methods are constantly improving. Specialists recommend following a few simple rules to protect yourself:

• Do not engage in telephone conversations with strangers.
• Do not share personal information with anyone, including SMS codes.
• Do not make transfers or hand over money to unfamiliar people.
• Always personally double-check information received by phone.

Additionally, other scam schemes continue to operate in the city, such as those involving fake meter replacements or deception on dating websites.