Highly Effective Phone Scam Spreading in Russia: How It Works

How a Sophisticated Phone Scam Is Targeting Russians Right Now

Phone scammers in Russia have significantly improved their social engineering tactics and are now outpacing security services and their anti-fraud campaigns. Below is a detailed scenario of a new, highly effective phone scam, compiled from interviews with several victims.

Key Features of the Scam

  • The scam keeps the victim engaged at all times (even in the bathroom) and prevents them from calling friends, relatives, or security services.
  • At least four scammers are involved in each call: two posing as “investigators” and two as “Central Bank security officers.”
  • The “investigators” use real names of law enforcement officers and confirm their identities by calling from official numbers listed on the actual Ministry of Internal Affairs website.
  • The fake “Central Bank security officers” send documents via WhatsApp, allegedly from the legal department.
  • Scammers spoof their phone numbers so that they appear as official in caller ID apps and are not flagged as suspicious.
  • Throughout the day, scammers call from different numbers that are not recognized as fraudulent by security apps.

Step-by-Step Script of the Scam

  1. Initial Contact:

    Scammers: “We have detained a woman named Sorokina who took out a loan in your name, claiming to be your niece. She said you are in the hospital in critical condition and need the loan for treatment. Do you have a niece, and how is your health?”

    Victim: “I am healthy.”

    Scammers: “This confirms that the detained woman is a fraudster. However, we suspect she has accomplices inside the banking system, and we need to catch them quickly before they withdraw your money. You need to do two things: secure your funds and cancel the fraudulent loan. The scammers have accessed your account, so you must urgently withdraw your money and transfer it to a secure Central Bank account. Your money will be returned to you within 24 hours. If you delay, you risk losing your funds. Also, since the scammers have accessed your account, they may be listening to your calls, so we are speaking on a secure line, and you must not inform anyone. As a responsible citizen, you should understand the importance of maintaining investigative secrecy while your funds are at risk. (They then cite articles from the criminal code.) Once the scammers are caught, you will come to my office, sign a statement, and then you can inform your loved ones. Until then, any information leak means losing your money. To help the investigation, remember the behavior and appearance of bank employees who assist you.”

  2. Transfer to Fake Central Bank Security:

    Scammers: “Your account has been compromised, and your funds are now ‘tagged’ in the state security system. You cannot use or mix them with your personal cash, nor can you make purchases in stores, as the serial numbers are flagged. You must transfer these funds to a secure Central Bank account, where they will be checked, the tags removed, and the money returned to your account within 24 hours. During this time, your account will be restored after the scammers’ attack.”

  3. Victim Withdraws and Transfers Funds:

    The victim withdraws money from several bank cards and transfers it to the so-called secure Central Bank account.

  4. Contactless Payment and Deleting Evidence:

    Scammers demand contactless payment via phone. They require the victim to link their “secure account” cards in the app, transfer the money, and then delete the cards. The transaction history in the app is not saved.

  5. Follow-Up Calls:

    The fake investigators make follow-up calls to ask for details about which bank employees assisted the victim, what they looked like, what was written on their badges, and whether they acted suspiciously.

  6. Fake Loan Cancellation:

    Scammers: “There are insiders in the banking system, so you must maintain investigative secrecy. Next, you need to cancel the loan taken out by Sorokina using a fake power of attorney. To do this, you must take out a loan at MTS Bank for the same amount she did, and your later application will override hers. She took out a loan for 150,000 rubles.”

    The victim takes out a loan, withdraws the cash, deposits it at a Tinkoff Bank ATM, and transfers it to the ‘secure’ account.

Stay Alert!

This scheme has already successfully targeted many people I know, aged 25-35. Please warn both your vigilant and less cautious friends and relatives.

Statistics and Real-Life Example

According to a Superjob survey, one in six Russians has suffered from phone scammers. One in nine respondents lost money or property after trusting a caller, and one in twenty said they had fallen for scams more than once. Analysts note that people over 45 and those with high incomes are most often targeted.

For example, after recovering from COVID-19, an elderly professor named Yakovenko received a call supposedly from the Central Bank of Russia. He was told that fraudulent activity was occurring on his accounts, but the situation was under control. To catch the scammers, he was instructed to withdraw all his money and deposit it into another account. He was also asked to take out a bank loan and transfer the money to track the fraudsters. Later, he was told that scammers were interested in his apartment as well. He was advised to pretend not to know about the scam, sign a sales contract, and hand over the proceeds to people in a car, who claimed to be police officers investigating real estate fraud. Yakovenko believed the callers and signed documents to sell his apartment and country house. He handed over the money as instructed, believing he was helping the investigation.

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