Out of the way: how scammers use the topic of joint trips to deceive Russians
At the beginning of 2026, cybercriminals are actively using shared travel services to deceive citizens, experts from the UBK of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia warned about this. At the same time, scammers try to choose routes from remote or hard-to-reach settlements, turning them into bait for potential victims. Read more about the new fraudulent schemes in the Izvestia article.
What was reported in the Ministry of Internal Affairs about the schemes of fraudsters with joint trips
On January 18, specialists from the Department for Combating the Illegal Use of Information and Communication Technologies (UBK) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia warned that at the beginning of 2026 there was an active use of shared travel services by intruders to deceive citizens.
"At the beginning of the year, there was an active use of the scheme with joint trips by intruders again. In chat rooms and specialized communities, scammers post offers to find fellow travelers, while choosing routes from remote or hard—to-reach settlements," the Management's Telegram channel reported.
According to law enforcement officials, after people's responses, the scammers transfer the dialogue to the Telegram messenger. Already there, they send the victim a phishing link, ostensibly for booking, and steal the data. The Interior Ministry urged citizens to be especially careful when planning trips using unofficial services and recommended using the services of trusted carriers, as well as booking tickets through official websites and applications.
Why is the topic of searching for fellow travelers interesting to intruders?
Fraudsters are interested in any topics that allow them to attract and retain the attention of potential victims, says Alexandra Shmigirilova, GR director of the Security Code information security company, in an interview with Izvestia. To do this, the attackers use relevant and in—demand offers, both independently invented and borrowed.
—Shared travel services are not a new idea: many people use them and leave positive feedback," says the expert. — At the same time, scammers choose rare destinations where it is difficult to find fellow travelers. The appearance of such an offer is of great interest, which means that potential victims are less vigilant and more trusting.
First of all, urgency and high demand factors play a role in the search for fellow travelers — it is more difficult for a person to weigh the pros and cons if they are asked to respond promptly, adds Konstantin Larin, head of the cyber intelligence department at Bastion. At the same time, it is important that such "offers" are often very attractive from a financial point of view, which is another "lever" of psychological pressure. In many ways, such schemes are gaining popularity due to the low awareness of citizens about the actions of intruders, as well as due to the insufficient level of "digital hygiene," the expert notes.
What schemes on the topic of finding fellow travelers should we expect in 2026
The rules and mechanisms of shared travel services are little known and often differ between platforms, says Alexandra Shmigirilova. Therefore, when a fellow traveler asks to perform some actions, it does not always arouse suspicion: the victim may decide that this is the procedure of a particular service.
"The offer to continue communicating on Telegram is also not alarming, since this messenger remains one of the most popular," the Izvestia interlocutor notes. — It is likely that in 2026, fraudsters will continue to use such schemes as long as they are effective.
In turn, Marina Probets, an Internet analyst and expert at Gazinformservice, expects fraudulent schemes to evolve towards hyperpersonalization and the use of neural networks in the coming months: attackers will begin to massively use realistic AI deepfakes to fake voice messages or video calls from "drivers", as well as introduce advanced chatbots capable of conducting long and natural conversations. dialogues for lulling vigilance.
In addition, fake services are likely to appear, mimicking decentralized blockchain-based platforms with supposedly "secure" smart contracts for payment, as well as using data from large-scale leaks to offer victims "ideally suitable" routes based on their real travel plans, which will make traps almost indistinguishable from legitimate offers, the expert emphasizes.
What fraud schemes on the topic of joint trips have you encountered before
Services for searching for fellow travelers appeared relatively recently. Previously, social networks were mainly used for this purpose, where standard fraudulent schemes were used, such as theft of personal data under the guise of requesting questionnaires or money under the guise of prepayment for trips, says Alexandra Shmigirilova. However, with the advent of specialized anti-fraud services, it has become more difficult to deceive users.
— Previously, phishing websites of services for finding car companions with fake forms of payment were often encountered, — adds Konstantin Larin. — There were also schemes of "traveling cargo transport" — the "driver" offered to pay a nominal fee for the trip, and after receiving the funds, ignored the victim.
There were also more complex scenarios, such as staging a "technical error" of payment on the main platform, after which the scammers offered to make a payment through a "secure transaction" via a direct link, which led to a complete debit of funds from the user's account, adds Marina Probets. Such schemes are aimed primarily at budget-conscious travelers and students who are looking for affordable ways to travel and often show excessive trust in polite communication.
The danger of such frauds lies not only in the irretrievable loss of funds transferred as an advance payment, but also in the complete compromise of bank details through phishing sites, which allows criminals to empty all the victim's accounts. In addition, such incidents result in serious psychological stress, disruption of important trips and undermine trust in legitimate digital services, forcing people to abandon convenient modern interaction tools, Marina Probets emphasizes.
How to protect yourself from fraud schemes on the topic of joint trips
To protect yourself from fraudulent schemes on the topic of joint trips, experts interviewed by Izvestia advise you to adhere to certain safety rules. In particular, Marina Probets recommends conducting all communication with potential fellow travelers exclusively inside official applications and categorically refusing to switch to third-party messengers, where attackers most often send dangerous phishing links.
— Never make an advance payment and do not enter your bank card details (including CVV code and SMS passwords) on the resources received from the driver, as legal platforms usually conduct transactions through their own secure systems, - the expert notes.
In addition, it is important to critically evaluate the cost of trips that are too low, carefully study driver profiles for registration dates and real reviews, and in case of any suspicious requests, immediately stop the dialogue and report the violator to the official support service.
If you are offered a joint trip on behalf of a neighbor, it is better to contact him in advance by phone or talk in person to verify the reality of his service, adds Nikita Novikov, an expert on cybersecurity at Angara Security. As a rule, in hard-to-reach settlements, everyone is familiar with each other and it will not be difficult to verify the information.
"Finally, it is important to use a reliable security solution that will prevent you from switching to a phishing or scam resource," concludes Olga Altukhova, senior content analyst at Kaspersky Lab.
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