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- Cheating from the tap: how scammers use the theme of summer water shutdowns
Cheating from the tap: how scammers use the theme of summer water shutdowns
Fraudsters can use the theme of summer hot water shutdowns to deceive Russians, experts have warned about this. Such outages affect many users, so before the onset of summer, people are actively interested in schedules from public utilities. It is this mass character that attracts intruders. For details on how scammers use the topic of summer hot water shutdowns, what schemes to expect from them in 2026, and how to protect themselves from such tricks, read the Izvestia article.
Why is the topic of hot water shutdowns interesting to scammers
The topic of turning off hot water is interesting to intruders, since it is a seasonal event distributed annually over the spring and summer period, which affects all citizens whose homes are equipped with central water supply, says Irina Dmitrieva, a cybersecurity expert and analyst at Gazinformservice, in an interview with Izvestia.
— In order to avoid the effect of surprise, users search for information in advance in order to mentally prepare for this period, — says the expert. — There is no uniqueness in this story as such, the secret lies in the simplicity of the approach to a potential victim: a relaxed imitation of the city service, the criminal Code or housing and communal services through any communication channel.
Attackers actively take advantage of the fact that messages from the housing and communal services sector look "normal" and do not cause such alertness as, for example, an urgent request to transfer money, adds Maria Mikhailova, head of the Angara MTDR brand protection group. An additional advantage for scammers, according to her, is a universal audience — residents of apartment buildings in cities and towns, as well as employees of numerous offices where they can turn off the hot water supply.
What schemes on the topic of turning off hot water should we expect in 2026
In 2026, one of the trends in fraud on the topic of hot water shutdowns may be the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create convincing phishing sites that are almost indistinguishable from the pages of housing and communal services, as well as to generate messages without typical errors that could previously identify fraudsters, says Valeria Besedina, an analyst at the Positive Technologies research group..
"In addition, many users have become more attentive to regular links and notice suspicious website addresses, so cybercriminals may switch to using QR codes," warns Izvestia's interlocutor. — This tactic allows you to hide the real URL from the user's eyes, and this format can also be associated with official services, which increases the likelihood of success for cybercriminals.
In addition, according to Valeria Besedina, a deception scheme through house chats and groups may be quite likely — they are often perceived by users as a trusted environment where information is published by neighbors and representatives of the Criminal Code, which reduces the level of criticality. With a high degree of probability, the scammers' goal will be to gain access to accounts on government services, which will allow them to steal confidential information and funds, the head of BI notes.ZONE Digital Risk Protection Dmitry Kiryushkin.
The scenario may look like this: under the pretext of notifying users about the hot water shutdown schedule, phishing links will be sent to users via messengers and social networks, as well as by SMS, the expert says. If the victim clicks on the link, they risk downloading malicious software or transferring sensitive information to intruders.
— In the case of a seasonal shutdown of hot water, attackers disguised as a company from the housing and communal services sector may suggest clicking on the link, registering in a messenger bot to find out about the timing of the shutdown, — predicts Evgeny Egorov, a leading analyst at the Digital Risk Protection department of F6. — This way, fraudsters can steal the victim's data, which she entered during registration, or infect the device with malware.
What schemes have you encountered before on the topic of turning off hot water
Meanwhile, fraudsters have been trying to speculate on the topic of summer hot water shutdowns for years, says Elena Zavodova, head of the audit and compliance department at the Ural Center for Security Systems (UCSB), in an interview with Izvestia. For example, in May 2025, there was a massive phishing email offering to "check the water shutdown schedule" — the attached link led to a fake Gosuslug website.
— That attack was exposed at the level of the relevant State Duma committee, — says the expert. — And already in July – August of last year, a scheme with fake Telegram bots became widespread.
In this case, according to Elena Zavodova, the potential victim received a message from the "management company" threatening to turn off the water due to unreleased readings. The bot requested passport and SNILS data, and then an SMS code that gave access to the account on Gosuslugi. In addition, there have been many episodes of fake paper receipts being distributed through mailboxes with phishing QR codes leading to fraud sites.
There were also classic calls from Vodokanal's false employees about urgent meter replacement or water quality control: under this pretext, they lured codes from SMS messages. Separately, it is worth mentioning the hacking of the accounts of HOA chairmen in Telegram, on whose behalf the scammers sent demands to pay for services via a phishing link, recalls Elena Zavodova.
"First of all, such schemes are aimed at a mass audience of urban residents, while the elderly, as well as users with a lower level of digital literacy, may be particularly vulnerable," notes Valeria Besedina. — The danger of such schemes lies in the theft of personal and bank data, gaining access to accounts, as well as infecting the gadgets of victims of the military-industrial complex.
How to protect yourself from schemes on the topic of hot water shutdowns
In order to protect yourself from fraudsters' tricks on the topic of summer hot water shutdowns, experts interviewed by Izvestia advise following certain safety rules. First of all, Elena Zavodova urges you never to follow links from messages and letters on housing and communal services. Hot water shutdown schedules should be searched only on the official website of the resource supply organization or on the Gosuslugi portal, opening them manually through a browser.
— You can also call the management company to get answers to your questions or visit their online resource, — says the specialist. — Type "Official website (company name)" in the search engine — the original will be in the first place in the search results.
In addition, Elena Zavodova advises to check the links for the correct spelling of the email address, and also not to go to sites with http:// without the letter S. If you still clicked on such a link, then please note that the fake website most often does not have a section "About the company", a legal address, a TIN, a privacy policy, or these data do not correspond to the information on the FTS website.
Many scammers substitute phone numbers. Turn on the caller ID (for example, an application from your operator or antispam) — this way you will deprive them of the opportunity to hide behind someone else's contact, the expert notes. Moreover, government and public utilities never request SMS codes or passport information by phone or in messengers, and they do not send links. If they call you "from the Vodokanal" or "from the administration" and rush you, threatening to turn off the water or fine you, these are one hundred percent scammers, warns Elena Zavodova.
"It is better to double—check information about planned outages through official city services and management company websites," concludes Olga Altukhova, a cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky Lab. — Additional protection can be provided by solutions that warn you about an attempt to access a phishing resource.
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