Russia has recorded an increase in fraudulent attacks before the May holidays
There has been an increase in fraudulent activity on the eve of the May holidays. Thus, in April 2026, the number of incidents related to holiday scenarios of social engineering increased by 26% compared to the same period last year. This was reported to Izvestia on April 28 by the specialists of the Informzashita company.
Fake offers for buying tickets and booking accommodation remain the most common scheme. Users are offered flights, train and bus services, as well as hotel rooms at a discounted price. Such offers are submitted as urgent — with a limited duration or the last available seats. Fake websites are created to deceive, which outwardly are practically indistinguishable from the pages of real services. In some cases, the user goes through the entire purchase process — from choosing a date to paying — and even receives a fictitious confirmation, but eventually loses money and services.
A separate category is fraud involving the rental of suburban real estate. Malefactors publish announcements about the delivery of houses and cottages for the holidays, counting on high demand and a shortage of offers. Potential tenants, fearing to miss the option, transfer the prepayment without checking the owner and documents.
Schemes related to refunds and cancellations are also common. After making a fictitious order, the victim is informed that the reservation did not go through, and to refund the funds, you must re-enter your bank card details or confirm the operation. Sometimes scammers connect a phone call allegedly from the support service, during which the user actually transfers payment data or confirms the transfer.
In 2026, attacks related to travel packages and trips within the country also intensified. Users are offered ready-made tours, excursions and "holiday specials" with full payment on the day of application. Such ads often look professional: they use real photos, fake reviews, and copied licenses, which increases confidence in fraudulent resources.
Additional growth was shown by schemes related to "circumvention of restrictions" and access to digital services. The attackers send instructions, offer to install applications or VPN services, disguising them as official solutions. As a result, users either install malware or transfer their data. According to experts, in the first two months of 2026, the number of such attacks increased by 38% and reached approximately 4.8 thousand episodes.
Ticket and booking schemes account for the largest share of fraud, accounting for 41% of all incidents. Another 24% are related to rental of suburban real estate, 19% are related to fictitious refunds and cancellations, and 16% are fake promotions and sweepstakes.
As explained by Pavel Kovalenko, director of the anti-fraud center at Informzashita, the holiday period remains especially beneficial for intruders.
"The holiday weekend for scammers is a short season with a high conversion rate. The user solves a specific task — to buy a ticket or book a place — and against this background, even simple forgeries work effectively," he said.
Experts recommend that during a period of increased activity, basic security measures should be observed: pay for services only through official applications and verified websites, do not transfer money using private banking details without verification, and consider any "urgent" offers as a reason for additional verification rather than a hasty decision.
Galaktion Kuchava, an expert on the Moshelovka platform of the Popular Front, reported on April 27 that fraudsters began transferring money to Russian cards and then asking for a refund via messengers. It is specified that fulfilling such a request may lead to the blocking of bank cards and accounts. The expert added that in this case it is necessary to contact your bank by the official number, inform about the uncoordinated receipt of funds and ask for an official refund using the sender's details.
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