Artyom Sheikin, Deputy Chairman of the Council for the Development of the Digital Economy under the Federation Council of Russia, has reported on a new and sophisticated type of fraud, as quoted by TASS.
According to the senator, these fraudsters are contacting Russian citizens via phone or messenger applications, deceptively posing as service technicians who are purportedly changing intercom codes. Their ultimate objective is to gain unauthorized access to the victims` financial assets.
“Criminals are employing a novel scheme: under the guise of replacing an intercom code, they remotely install malicious software onto the victim`s device. Subsequently, they convince individuals to transfer their savings to supposedly `secure` accounts,” Sheikin elaborated.
These perpetrators, often impersonating utility workers, request victims to “verify their identity” by dictating a one-time code received via SMS on their phone. Furthermore, some fraudsters are even contacting individuals by impersonating “police officers,” advising them to install a supposed protective application and then prompting them to touch their bank card to the phone`s NFC (Near Field Communication) tag.
“The scammers effectively create a virtual replica of the victim`s bank card and proceed to drain all funds from their account. Disturbingly, many victims do not even resist, primarily because the call seems directly related to their home address, apartment, and the perceived safety of their family,” he added.
It was previously disclosed that malicious actors have also been targeting Russians` landline phones, impersonating employees of Rostelecom, a major telecommunications provider. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had previously issued a warning to the public about this specific deceptive tactic.
Clement Ashworth 
Barnaby Whitfield