Experts of "Call me back" called fraudulent schemes for identity theft

Experts from the Moscow cybersecurity project "Call me back" have listed the main schemes that hackers use to steal personal data of citizens. This was announced on April 21 on the official Internet portal of the capital. mos.ru .

It is noted that by the end of 2025, cybercrimes accounted for almost half of all crimes registered in the capital. In most cases, the attackers used personal data of citizens.

Analysts have identified several of the most common methods of deception. Among them are phishing mailings and viruses. According to experts, a person receives a message asking them to vote for a friend in a poll or watch a holiday video. After clicking on the link, the gadget becomes infected with malware that monitors the actions of the owner.

Another method popular with scammers is fake video conferencing. Criminals create clone websites of popular online meeting services and send a link to the victim. To connect, the resource asks you to enter personal data, which immediately turns out to be fraudsters.

Deepfakes are also increasingly being used, as explained in "Call me back". By hacking into a social media account or messenger, scammers receive photos, videos, and audio recordings of a person. With the help of neural networks, they generate a fake with his face or voice and send it to relatives — a virtual double reports trouble and asks for money.

Calls and messages from false employees of banks, government agencies or technical support are another scheme of deception on the part of intruders. Its purpose is to force the victim to transfer funds or to name codes from SMS. Unused SIM cards are also used: fraudsters reissue them for themselves and gain access to other people's accounts on the Gosuslugi portal and in banks.

Experts also talked about doxing, the publication of confidential data of a person without his consent for the purpose of revenge or blackmail. Among the popular methods is cyberbullying, which is systematic online harassment with threats and the dissemination of defamatory information.

In order not to become a victim, the experts of "Call me back" advise not to follow suspicious links and not to open files from strangers. If the message came from a friend or acquaintance, it is better to call him back and clarify the fact of sending, analysts advise. They also reminded that real banks and the police do not communicate with customers in instant messengers.

Find a crook: the number of sentences for real estate fraud has increased dramatically

In 2025, almost 2.6 thousand such court decisions were recorded.

State Duma deputy Dmitry Svishchev said on April 9 that citizens who find a loan issued in their name without consent should immediately contact the Credit Bureaus and law enforcement agencies. The parliamentarian explained that if fraud is suspected, you should file a police report, as well as request documents from a bank or microfinance institution confirming the loan.