The Russian Interior Ministry warned about methods of deception of minors by cybercriminals

Cybercriminals began to deceive Russian minors more often. This was announced on June 28 by the Department for the Organization of the fight against the illegal use of information and communication technologies (UBK) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

"The number of victims of cyberbullying minors in the first five months of 2025 increased by 25% compared to the same period last year. The vector of attacks is shifting to children and teenagers, but the ultimate goal remains the parents' money," the Telegram channel says.

It clarifies that fraudsters use various methods to deceive. Attackers can steal data during calls and messages on behalf of an educational organization, government authorities, or telecom operators. Fraudsters can also use the image of a fake psychologist, who requires testing after registering on a phishing resource.

In addition, there has been an increase in cases of fraud when selling or buying gaming accounts or valuables. Attackers use phishing sites that mimic game pages and offer game currency, characters, or items for a small sum. After the user enters the card data, fraudsters gain access to the account, in a separate case, minors are persuaded to transfer the card data to their parents.

Children also become victims of fraud when buying "answers" to the Unified State Exam (USE). After payment, users receive old or useless materials, or lose access.

In particular, attackers create fake shops in messengers with low prices for branded items. After making an advance payment, the teenager is blocked or a fake is sent to him.

According to the publication, scammers also send potential victims a link or a file with malware disguised as a photo or video clip. Depending on the type of software, a teenager may lose data, money, or start mining cryptocurrencies.

Fraudsters deceive Russians in the virtual world. What you need to know

Earlier, on June 2, cyber analysts predicted an increase in fraud against children during the summer holidays. It was noted that they are trying to deceive them with the help of fake mobile games, social networks and speculations on the topic of school exams. Sergey Khrenov, Director of MegaFon's Revenue Loss Prevention Department, stressed that the increase in fraud against children was recorded both by the company's own analytics and by subscriber requests.