Bad news: how are the schemes of scammers on a ritual theme?
Fraudsters can use ritual themes to deceive Russians, experts have warned about this. Attackers take advantage of the confusion of people who are faced with loss, real or imaginary, and against this background they try to steal their money and personal data. For more information about how fraudsters' ritual-themed schemes are organized, how dangerous they are and how to protect yourself from them, read the Izvestia article
What is interesting about ritual themes for scammers?
According to Rosstat, in the first four months of 2025, the funeral services market in Russia grew by 12.7% year-on-year and amounts to 39.5 billion rubles. The acceleration in growth rates is caused by both inflation and an increase in mortality.
Ritual themes related to death and funerals are of particular interest to fraudsters because of the vulnerable state of the victims and the special emotional atmosphere accompanying such events, Ekaterina Edemskaya, an expert and engineering analyst at Gazinformservice, told Izvestia.
"Victims are often relatives of the deceased who are under severe stress, which makes them vulnerable to psychological pressure and manipulation," says Alexander Bleznekov, Head of Information Security Development at Telecom Exchange. — Fear, anxiety, shock are strong triggers that disable critical thinking, which is actively used by scammers.
According to Ekaterina Edemskaya, scammers use such moments to extort money by offering fictitious funeral services, "mandatory" funeral goods or urgent transfers of funds to "organize the ceremony." In addition, ritual themes appeal to deep cultural and religious beliefs, which creates a false sense of trust and credibility.
Fraudsters actively adapt their schemes to local traditions and customs, disguising themselves as clerics, representatives of ritual agencies, or even government agencies allegedly regulating burials, which makes it difficult to identify threats in a timely manner, the expert notes.
When do the ritual schemes of scammers become active?
Fraudsters using ritual themes are especially active during periods associated with mass commemorations and religious holidays, when the theme of death and commemoration becomes more prominent in society, says Ekaterina Edemskaya.
— For example, in spring and autumn, when traditional days of commemoration of the deceased, such as Radonitsa or parents' Saturdays, take place, the number of calls to funeral services increases, which creates a favorable environment for the substitution of contacts, fake websites and sending false offers, — explains the interlocutor of Izvestia.
People clean up at the grave on Trinity Parents' Saturday
According to the expert, the activity of intruders also increases on the eve of major religious holidays — Easter, Christmas, when fraudsters exploit the theme of spiritual purification or "obligatory memorial rites." In addition, after high-profile incidents with mass casualties, there is a wave of fake charges and fake death notices aimed at collecting money and data.
What kind of ritual-themed schemes should we expect in 2025?
Fraudsters quickly adapt to the news agenda using social engineering tools, says Yakov Filevsky, an expert in sociotechnical testing at Angara Security, in an interview with Izvestia. With this in mind, we should expect the spread of various phishing options in 2025.
— Among such options are SMS messages with "loss payments" containing phishing links, calls offering to help arrange alleged compensation by switching to fictitious sites or installing malicious applications, as well as messages in messengers allegedly from funeral services or government agencies asking them to enter data "for confirmation," — says the specialist.
One of the schemes that are gaining popularity in 2025 is sending messages allegedly about the death of acquaintances, to which fraudsters attach a malicious APK file, adds Alexander Bleznekov.
If an Android user (APK is the format of application installation files for Android devices) clicks on the file, deciding that it is a photo of a friend, then a virus gets on the phone at the same moment, and attackers get full access to the device and the ability to perform any actions with it — for example, log in to a banking application or to the Gosuslug service, which is fraught with theft of funds, illegal transactions and other threats.
"Another common scheme is the creation of fake websites to collect personal data and extort money, for example, through phishing websites of State Services to receive funeral allowances and other social benefits," the expert notes.
What ritual-themed schemes have you encountered before?
One of the most common methods of ritual fraudsters was previously calls from a "morgue employee" or a "funeral home" who claimed that it was urgently necessary to make a payment for services, otherwise the body would not be given out, says Ekaterina Edemskaya. Fake death notices were also often used asking for money for funerals, especially on social media, where they played on the audience's sympathy.
"There have been cases of fake agencies that took an advance payment for funeral arrangements, after which they disappeared," the Izvestia interlocutor notes. — Some scammers even came to a real funeral, offering services for "cleansing the soul" of the deceased or "ritual protection" of the family from further losses — for money, of course.
In addition, there have been cases of the seizure of personal data of the deceased for the subsequent processing of loans or attempts to deceive their relatives, the expert says. In turn, Yakov Filevsky recalls the attacks of telephone scammers on relatives of soldiers who died during their military operations, victims of natural disasters or emergencies. Under various pretexts, the attackers extort compensation from relatives received from the state for the dead people.
Other less popular schemes in Russia include sending messages to relatives and friends of the deceased with an offer to watch the broadcast of the farewell ceremony and funeral on one of the social networks. When clicking on the link, the recipient was asked to provide registration information, including financial information, the specialist notes.
How to protect yourself from ritual fraud schemes?
The main targets of fraudulent schemes on a ritual theme are relatives and friends of the deceased, says Yakov Filevsky. People who are in a state of grief are less likely to question the information they receive and tend to seek solutions faster than usual. This is what criminals use: high stress and information overload lead to vulnerability.
"The danger of these schemes is that they not only cause material damage, but also exacerbate psychological trauma, leaving victims feeling guilty and humiliated for being deceived," the source said.
In turn, Alexandra Shmigirilova, GR director of the Security Code Information Security company, adds that lonely and elderly people who are confused due to loss and may not understand modern technologies are at high risk.
In order to protect yourself from such threats, if possible, entrust funeral arrangements to a person who remains calm, such as a family member, acquaintance, or neighbor who knows about modern technology. To protect yourself from fraud in funeral services, choose trusted companies, study reviews and compare prices.
— You should not trust the first stranger who offers to help with funeral arrangements or suddenly calls on behalf of social or financial organizations with offers to receive payments and compensation, — says Yakov Filevsky. — In Russia, such assistance is declarative in nature and representatives of social services will not call before contacting them.
Practice shows that in such an acute and emotionally stressful situation, it helps a lot to enlist the support and help of friends who are detached from the problem. They can adequately assess the situation and provide support, give the right advice or monitor your actions, the expert concludes.
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