Russians were warned about a scheme of fraud with tax audits

Malefactors began to pose as employees of the tax service more often, referring to errors in personal income tax declarations or unpaid amounts. Andrey Rybnikov, senior lecturer at the Department of Instrumental and Applied Software at RTU MIREA, told about this on Wednesday, April 15.

"They call or write to a person on behalf of the Federal Tax Service and inform them about an alleged inspection, an error in the declaration, or unpaid taxes. The situation looks plausible because it is tied to a specific period when citizens really interact with the tax system," he warned in an interview with Lenta.Ru .

According to the expert, this mechanism is based on context substitution and trust in public services. Fraudsters use open data on reporting dates and send out mass notifications. They come at a time when a person expects communication from the tax service, which reduces the criticality of perception.

The attackers then send links to websites that visually copy the taxpayer's personal account, or ask them to confirm the data through Gosuslugi.

"The fake works by accurately reproducing the interface and domain names similar to the real ones. The user enters a username, password, or text message code, after which access to his accounts is transferred to third parties," said Rybnikov.

In addition, scammers use pressure, referring to the time limit. For example, a person is informed about a fine that will allegedly increase during the day, or about the blocking of accounts in the absence of a response. The victim is forced to act quickly, and the likelihood of verifying information through official sources is reduced.

"In more complex versions, voice deception is enabled. The caller introduces himself as an inspector, gives his first name and patronymic, and sometimes uses fragments of real data. Such details create a sense of legitimacy, although information is often collected from leaks or open databases," the expert emphasized.

After receiving the victim's data, the scammers apply for a loan, transfer money, or use the account for new attacks. Rybnikov recalled that these tax service notifications do not require urgent action through external links and are not accompanied by threats.

"The safe solution is to log into your personal account yourself through the official website or app and check for notifications. This approach eliminates contact with a fake page and prevents the transfer of data to intruders," he concluded.

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Earlier that day, Vladimir Vasenin, head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the capital, told the Moscow City News agency that the metropolitan police had eliminated the telephone fraudsters' communications center and seized many SIM cards and a GSM gateway.

In turn, the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kabardino-Balkaria warned about a new scheme of deceiving pensioners on the eve of May 9. Fraudsters call citizens and introduce themselves as employees of local governments, and inform them about the alleged upcoming issuance of medals and awards dedicated to the memorable date. Under the pretext of awarding awards, the attackers extort personal data from pensioners and then use it to gain access to personal accounts at Public Services, NSN reports.

The day before, the press service of the Main Directorate of Regional Security of the Moscow Region told how to protect smartphones from malicious applications and cyberbullies. Experts recommended carefully checking the download sources, developers, and requested permissions before installing programs, RIAMO writes.

On April 7, State Duma deputy Dmitry Svishchev reported that fraudsters had begun using a scheme to substitute payment QR codes, which could cause buyers' money to go to the accounts of intruders. According to the parliamentarian, such cases are most often recorded in crowded places, including parking lots, public transport and areas with payment terminals.

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