A sophisticated new fraudulent scheme has emerged in Russia, where cybercriminals are reportedly pilfering money from citizens through a Telegram bot meticulously designed to mimic the official “Gosuslugi” public services portal.
The scam came to light following a report filed by a Russian citizen. The individual recounted being added to a group chat on a popular messenger application, purportedly associated with RANEPA (Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration). Within this group, he received a message from someone impersonating his “supervisor,” instructing him to undertake a task involving the digitization of an archive.
Following this initial deceptive contact, the unsuspecting individual was then directed to interact with an “official” Telegram bot. This bot was falsely presented as being directly connected to the legitimate Gosuslugi portal, a tactic consistent with phishing attempts aimed at extracting sensitive personal information or financial details from victims.
This latest cybercrime tactic underscores an ongoing trend of evolving deception. It follows previous public warnings regarding other malicious practices, such as fraudsters distributing harmful software disguised as authentic banking applications, further highlighting the critical need for vigilance against digital fraud.
Clement Ashworth 
Barnaby Whitfield