Close class: How scammers use the theme of prom preparation
Scammers can use various tricks on the topic of preparing for graduation parties, experts have warned about this. Scammers are attracted by the fact that organizing festive events for schoolchildren requires a lot of money, and parents often want to save money against this background and are looking for the most profitable offers. For details on what schemes to prepare for graduation parties to expect from scammers in 2026, what are the dangers of such tricks and how to protect yourself from them, read the Izvestia article.
What is the topic of graduation preparation interesting to scammers?
Proms are big events for schoolchildren and their parents, which require certain budgets to prepare, which attracts the attention of fraudsters, Alexandra Shmigirilova, GR director of the Security Code information security company, said in an interview with Izvestia.
— The expenses usually include expensive outfits for graduates and parents, a banquet and an entertainment program, while at each stage the amount can be significant, — says the specialist. — Since family budgets vary, some parents want to save money to match the general class level, and therefore are interested in favorable offers: buy discounted clothes, find an inexpensive banquet hall, and so on.
This is where the opportunity arises for scammers to offer attractive but false options, warns Alexandra Shmigirilova. In turn, the deputy director of the analytical center of the Ural Center for Security Systems (UCSB) Diana Zhukova points out that during proms, the peak of financial transactions is recorded — prepayments for services, transfers to private cards without checks and contracts.
All this together creates an environment for phishing: attackers can not only steal money directly, but also compromise digital identity — gain access to accounts on "Public Services" and use the stolen data for extortion or other criminal purposes, the expert emphasizes.
What schemes on the topic of graduation preparation should we expect in 2026
In 2026, fraud schemes on the topic of preparing for graduation parties will become more convincing through the use of neural networks and high-quality imitation of real services, according to Angara Security cybersecurity expert Nikolai Dolgov. In particular, according to him, fake websites of restaurants, photo studios, dress rentals and ticket sales services should be expected.
— They will look professional: with reviews, a portfolio, a booking form and online payment, - says the interlocutor of Izvestia. — Attacks through parent chats are also likely. Scammers can copy the participant's name and avatar, write on behalf of the parent committee, and send "new details."
Fake tickets for graduation events and concerts are a separate risk, warns Nikolai Dolgov. The user receives a QR code or a PDF ticket, but the invitation is invalid at the entrance. Also, in the case of a file with a pdf extension, it may initially contain malicious software, the expert clarifies. In turn, Maxim Fedosenko, a leading engineer and analyst at the Gazinformservice cybersecurity analytical center, draws attention to the fact that the main trend among hackers is the massive creation of phishing payment links (gateways) and fake aggregator sites that mimic well-known lofts, ships and banquet halls for graduations.
According to the expert, scammers will try to pinpoint fake phishing links into parent chats for urgent reservations and making a deposit for the reservation under the pretext that "otherwise the ship will sail to another school."
— In addition, schemes involving the sale and distribution of fake tickets and fake QR codes for private events for graduates (for example, Scarlet Sails in St. Petersburg), where official commercial access for all comers is not provided, may be activated online, - Maxim Fedosenko adds.
What schemes have you encountered before on the topic of graduation preparation?
Meanwhile, fraudsters have been trying to use various tricks to deceive Russians during the preparation for graduation parties for several years. For example, in 2025, attackers attacked children, teenagers and their parents under the guise of teachers and representatives of educational institutions, adapting the well-known FakeBoss scheme, says Evgeny Egorov, a leading analyst at the Digital Risk Protection department at F6.
"One of the goals of such attacks is the theft of money from accounts, hacking into personal accounts in government services, or manipulation under the guise of hacking," says the specialist. — The reasons may be different: to confirm the data for obtaining a certificate, to give consent to the award, to travel, to correct errors in the final documents, and so on.
Another common fraudulent scheme was malicious links disguised as estimates, contracts, guest lists or photo albums, adds Nikolai Dolgov. Such links opened up opportunities for attackers to steal access to e-mail, social networks, and messengers.
According to Andrey Sidenko, head of Kaspersky Lab's online children's security department, such schemes are primarily aimed at parents of graduates, since they are the ones who usually organize and pay for events. However, attackers can also attack children themselves, for example, through social networks, instant messengers, or fake offers related to the purchase of clothes or accessories for the holiday. The danger of these schemes lies primarily in large financial losses, as well as in the prospect of a ruined holiday, Maxim Fedosenko adds.
"Also, in addition to direct financial loss and guaranteed disruption of the festive event, victims who have paid for fictitious services through phishing links are subsequently at serious risk of compromising their personal data and payment details, which allows fraudsters to carry out other malicious actions against already affected people," the expert warns.
How to protect yourself from fraud schemes on the topic of graduation preparation
In order to protect yourself from fraud schemes during the preparation for graduation parties, experts interviewed by Izvestia advise following certain cybersecurity rules. According to Diana Zhukova, first of all, it is necessary to understand that no official representative of a school, university or government agency will ever, under any circumstances, request SMS codes, passwords from personal accounts or bank card data by phone or via messengers.
— If you receive a call allegedly from the school administration, the Ministry of Education or Rosobrnadzor and, under a plausible pretext — to confirm the data for the certificate, register for the Unified State Exam, take a survey — they ask you to name the code from the message or click on the link, you should know: these are scammers, — warns the specialist.
Before any transfer of money for the services of a photographer, organizer, or ticket purchase, be sure to double—check the information through independent channels - through acquaintances, official aggregators, and websites of service contractors, advises Diana Zhukova.
Experts remind you that you should not follow links from suspicious messages in messengers: before doing this, you always need to verify the domain — phishing pages often look like exact copies of the real ones, but their address contains errors, extra characters or unusual domain zones. It is important to enable two—factor authentication on Public Services, social networks and messengers, and SMS notification of all transactions in the banking application.
— In most cases, it is worthwhile to be critical of any offers related to prepayment, especially if we are talking about full payment of the service in advance, — concludes Andrey Sidenko. — For additional protection, it is worth installing security solutions on your devices that will prevent you from clicking on phishing links.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
