IT expert Daniil Borislavsky alerts parents to a new scam where fraudsters impersonate school officials.
During July and August, as schools traditionally finalize class assignments for the new academic year – a critical time, especially for students entering the 1st, 5th, or 10th grade and moving into specialized streams – cybercriminals are actively exploiting the situation. Daniil Borislavsky, Product Director for Information Security at Staffcop (part of Contour.Aegis), highlighted this new fraudulent scheme targeting Russian parents.
Scammers are contacting parents by phone, claiming to be representatives of the school or even the Ministry of Education. They then inquire whether the child is, for instance, transitioning to the fifth grade.
Borislavsky explains that confirming this detail draws parents into a “trust funnel.” The fraudsters` dialogue sounds credible: “Your school has prepared the lists, but we need to cross-verify the data with the regional database. Otherwise, your child might not be assigned to a class; there might not be enough space.” This approach leverages parents` natural anxiety about their child`s schooling. They then instruct: “You will receive an SMS from Gosuslugi (the State Services portal). This is your child`s sequential number in the regional list. Just read it out, and we`ll finalize the enrollment.”
In reality, no such regional list or verification process requiring a code exists. Borislavsky emphasizes that the SMS code is actually a confirmation code for accessing the parent`s Gosuslugi account. Gaining access to this portal grants criminals entry to extensive personal data, enabling them to perform services in the victim`s name, including obtaining loans.
This scenario, centered on the `school` theme, is highly convincing. It aligns with real school timelines, uses bureaucratic language (`interdepartmental verification,` `regional list,` `sequential number`), and generates urgency and fear: `otherwise the child won`t get into the class`.
The expert stressed that no government authority will ever request SMS codes over the phone. He strongly advised against providing these codes and urged parents to verify any such information independently. This can be done by contacting the school directly, checking their personal account on the official Gosuslugi website, consulting the educational institution`s official website, or discussing the matter in official parent group chats.
Separately, reports have surfaced about other scams targeting Russians, including one where fraudsters invite individuals to watch movies together on specialized online platforms.
Clement Ashworth 
Barnaby Whitfield