New Scam Schemes Target Neighbors and Accounts

Scammers have moved from primitive calls about «account blocking» to complex multi-step operations. They impersonate officials from the Ministry of Digital Development and district police officers, and create fake but very useful services for drivers. We examine three new schemes that even cautious Russians are falling for.

Malicious «Helper» Apps for Drivers

The number of schemes involving malicious mobile applications that masquerade as radar detectors, navigators, or services with camera data is growing in Russia, said State Duma deputy Anton Nemkin. They are distributed through anonymous Telegram channels, pirate sites, and ads, offering to download files bypassing official stores. After installation, such an application requests extended access rights—to SMS, notifications, screen, or banking apps.

«After obtaining these permissions, the software module can intercept confirmation codes or initiate unauthorized transactions,» the parliamentarian emphasized in a conversation with RIA Novosti.

The danger is that the program can imitate the claimed useful functionality for some time, while covertly performing malicious functions.

Diagnosing the «Gosuslugi» Account

Scammers are implementing a deception scheme involving the alleged diagnosis of a personal page on the «Gosuslugi» state services portal, according to materials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs reviewed by TASS. Fraudsters send an email about registering a power of attorney in the victim«s name.

Then unknown individuals call her, posing as officials, and talk about the need to «conduct a diagnosis» of the page on «Gosuslugi». If the person refuses, other fake representatives of law enforcement and government agencies join the scheme, starting to write en masse in messengers and call. Their sole goal is to convince the person to perform actions aimed at stealing funds.

Searching for a Murderer

Phone scammers contact citizens on behalf of district police officers and report the «murder» of a neighbor, warning about a preventive conversation. Then the perpetrators ask the victim to «help in the investigation» of a serious crime.

Under the pretext of conducting a «secret operation,» they force the person to withdraw money from accounts and hand it over to a courier, writes RIA Novosti. At the same time, the victim is forbidden to communicate with relatives and is convinced that «no one should know» about the operation.

Protection Recommendations

The new schemes exploit trust in state services and the desire to help, making them particularly dangerous. A critical attitude towards unexpected calls and adherence to digital hygiene rules remain the main defense. To counter new threats, it is necessary to follow simple rules.

Install applications only from official stores (Google Play, App Store), and do not download files from unknown sources. Carefully check the permissions requested by the program and use antivirus software.

Do not click on links from unknown senders. Check notifications from «Gosuslugi» only manually by visiting the official portal. If there are suspicious activities in the account, immediately change the password and enable two-factor authentication.

Remember that police officers will not ask you to withdraw money or hand it over to a courier, nor will they demand that the operation be kept secret. If in any doubt, hang up and call the station back on the official number.