Scammers on Telegram have reportedly begun impersonating law enforcement officers using fake usernames to coerce victims into transferring money.
Photo: Kirill Kallinikov / RIA Novosti
Scammers operating on Telegram are now employing a novel tactic to intimidate their targets: impersonating law enforcement officials through fabricated usernames. This development was highlighted by Anton Ivanov, Technical Director at Kaspersky Lab, in an interview with RIA Novosti.
According to Ivanov, these fraudsters craft usernames that bear a striking resemblance to actual phone numbers. During calls, they exploit these deceptive IDs as a means of psychological pressure. A common ploy involves asking a leading question such as, “Do you comprehend who is calling you right now?”
“However, it’s crucial to understand that this is not an authentic phone number, but merely a username within the messenger application. Subsequently, the scammer directs the victim to open a browser and `verify` this supposed number,” Ivanov elaborated.
Once the victim is persuaded of the number`s legitimacy, the fraudster intensifies the intimidation, threatening legal repercussions for alleged suspicious financial transfers. This manipulative strategy ultimately compels the unsuspecting individual to transfer funds to a so-called “safe account.”
This new method follows previous reports of scammers exploiting Telegram bots to deceive Russian citizens. These bots were designed to mimic legitimate investment platforms, illustrating a continuous evolution in cybercriminal tactics.
Clement Ashworth 
Barnaby Whitfield