Phone Scammers Now Calling Russians from Iranian and Syrian Numbers
Recently, Russians have reported a surge in phone scam calls coming from Iranian, Turkish, and Syrian numbers. Scammers posing as the “Sberbank Security Service” are now using non-European numbers to bypass call blocking systems. Since these countries are considered friendly to Russia, mobile operators are unable to block all calls from them.
Sharp Increase in Scam Calls
At the end of October, there was a sharp rise in scam calls from numbers starting with +9, which resemble Russian mobile operator codes. For example, numbers beginning with +985 (Iran), +963 (Syria), and +903 (Turkey) have been used. According to Sergey Khrenov, Director of the Fraud Prevention and Revenue Loss Department at MegaFon, “On October 20, the number of such calls to MegaFon subscribers exceeded 600,000, compared to 100,000 a week earlier, and less than 10,000 at the beginning of the month.” Khrenov shared these statistics at the “Spectrum 2022” forum organized by Roskomnadzor.
How Scammers Bypass Blocking
The scammers themselves are not physically located in Syria or Turkey; instead, they spoof these numbers. They first attempt to call using a Russian number, but when blocked, they switch to a foreign number, avoiding the use of +7 (Russia’s country code) altogether. Operators try to block these calls as well, but as Khrenov explains, “It’s impossible to block all of Iran — Russia’s new strategic partner.”
Changing Tactics and New Challenges
Previously, scammers often used European numbers for spoofing, but now they are using real numbers belonging to citizens of other countries. As a result, people in those countries are receiving angry calls from Russian subscribers who believe they are calling back a scammer.
Khrenov also noted that as scam calls from numbers starting with +9 have increased since mid-September, the number of calls spoofing Russian landline or mobile numbers, as well as numbers starting with +89, +83, and +84 (previously popular with scammers), has decreased proportionally.
Expert Insights on the New Scam Scheme
Grigory Kovshov, an expert at Gazinformservice, confirmed the trend toward this new “Arab-flavored” scheme. “Mainly, scammers use this method for targeted attacks, spoofing the numbers of banks and other financial institutions,” Kovshov explained. “In this case, scammers hope the recipient will see the ‘9’ and answer, thinking it’s a call from a Russian mobile operator.”
Once the call is answered, scammers use their usual tactics to extract personal information and gain access to victims’ bank accounts.
Scam Victims and Public Awareness
According to a recent study by Superjob, one in ten Russians has fallen victim to phone scammers. Despite this, 84% of respondents believe they can recognize a scammer.