Gentlemen at the cottage: how scammers attack the owners of suburban land
Fraudsters can attack owners of suburban land in Russia, experts have warned about this. Malefactors speculate on the topic of additional payments and dacha fees, trying to steal money from potential victims, and their "suburban" schemes have pronounced seasonal features. For more information about how scammers attack owners of suburban land in Russia, how dangerous their schemes are and how to protect yourself from them, read the Izvestia article.
Why are the owners of suburban plots interesting to scammers
Owners of suburban plots fall into the sphere of interests of scammers primarily because they have additional mandatory payments — regular fees for garbage collection, electricity and gas, says Alexander Samsonov, a leading expert in the development and testing department of the Security Code company, in an interview with Izvestia. Therefore, scammers may try to force land owners to transfer money to them.
— It is worth noting that the interaction of land owners with the management board of agricultural enterprises is often less formal than, for example, with interaction with government organizations or official management companies, — the expert notes. — One—time or periodic fundraising — for the same cleaning of roads from snow - is often carried out without official documents or any receipts. This means that it is easier for attackers to implement their fraudulent schemes.
It is also important that owners of suburban land plots are usually distinguished by their high involvement in everyday issues, as well as their trust in various "community chairmen" and "managers", which scammers actively use, adds Konstantin Larin, head of the cyber intelligence department at Bastion. At the same time, they easily receive contacts of potential victims through open registers of farming co-ops, announcements, partnership chats and communities on social networks.
What kind of "out-of-town" schemes to expect from scammers in 2026
At the beginning of 2026, the media reported on the "parsing" (unloading) of databases of ten thousand Russian farmers by unknown persons. According to Maxim Fedosenko, a leading analytical engineer at the Gazinformservice cybersecurity analytical center, this fact indicates that the databases and computers of the representatives of the cooperative are worse protected than a "fence without a gate."
— Unfortunately, the widespread negligence towards the personal data of the owners of the plots on the part of the farmers themselves opens up great prospects for data theft, — warns the interlocutor of Izvestia. — And the latest large-scale "parsing" clearly indicates that scammers will know who they are attacking.
As Maxim Fedosenko notes, in 2026, we should expect targeted phishing attacks on specific land owners and their data, which may be conducted from fake accounts of the chairmen of agricultural enterprises.
At the same time, scammers will focus on trust, urgency and lack of knowledge in verifying digital data from potential victims. In the cold season, you should expect calls and messages on behalf of the accounts of the "chairman of the SNT" or "chief accountant of the NOST" with urgent demands to pay contributions for snow removal, cutting down trees or clearing debris formed after snowfalls, adds Nikita Novikov, cybersecurity expert at Angara Security.
— Closer to the beginning of the summer season, "fees" are possible under the pretext of repairing power grids or summer water pipes, replacing equipment that has failed, which is on the balance of the farming co—op, or paying for legal support in meeting new legal requirements, - the expert predicts.
In addition, according to Nikita Novikov, it is possible that, having received a voice sample or a photo of an authorized person of the CHT or NOST, fraudsters will create audio and video clips for targeted attacks on members of partnerships. At the same time, during such targeted attacks, fake chats of a specific partnership will be created, imitating the owners and management.
How the "suburban" schemes of scammers depend on the time of the year
Fraud schemes aimed at owners of plots in farming co—ops are clearly linked to the season - in other words, scammers live according to the cottager's calendar and adapt their attacks according to it, Maxim Fedosenko says in an interview with Izvestia. For example, attacks under the guise of "targeted contributions" (including for garbage collection and running a water pipeline) are expected to peak in the spring, as owners return to the sites, and chaos is happening in "shared chats", where it is easy for a fraudster to "get lost" and send a malicious link.
— In autumn, there may be a peak in attacks on "closing debts" over the past season for reasons similar to spring (chaos, haste, the opportunity to get lost), and in winter there may be a peak with fake accounts of chairmen, since the owners of the plots are not physically located in the farming co—op and it is easier for scammers to pretend to be someone they are not, — says the expert.
At the same time, summer is paradoxically a time of minimal fraud activity: owners of suburban plots are relaxed during the peak season, and their mandatory payments are closed. In addition, summer residents are constantly at the sites, and in case of doubt, it is easier for them to resolve the issue in a personal conversation with each other, Maxim Fedosenko notes.
Meanwhile, fraudsters have been trying to attack the owners of suburban land plots for several years, Konstantin Larin adds. Previously, attackers actively used fake receipts for payment of contributions, fake fees for repairing roads or power lines, calls from "representatives" of farming co-ops, fraud in the sale of land and the connection of communications. There were also schemes with "fines" allegedly for violations of land legislation.
How can owners of suburban land plots protect themselves from fraudsters
Fraud schemes against owners of suburban land plots are usually aimed at obtaining confidential information: passport and bank data, passwords from messengers or a personal account at Gosuslugi, says Sergey Tunchik, head of the Information Security sector of the Digital Economy League, in an interview with Izvestia. Access to it will allow attackers to perform legal actions on someone else's behalf: submit applications to the court, issue documents and change registration. However, it is possible to detect a data leak only after a long time.
— The main danger is the loss of property, the cost of which can reach millions of rubles, — says the expert. — When trying to recover stolen land or money, people often face lengthy and costly lawsuits, which can lead to even greater material losses. In addition, such situations cause stress and great stress, which negatively affects health.
To protect yourself from such threats, experts recommend following certain cybersecurity rules. So, according to Sergey Tunchik, you should never make payments immediately after receiving a document or a call. Even if it looks like this is an official letter from the cooperative and everything looks plausible, you need to double—check the information - for example, call the chairman of the partnership or consult with relatives. Scammers often take advantage of the fact that people pay out of emotion and in a hurry.
Before buying a land plot in a gardening association, it is necessary to carefully check the owner of the documents. All powers of attorney must be posted on the website of the Federal Notary Chamber, and the buyer can clarify the status of the site on the cadastral map of the Federal Register or order an extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities. This aspect should be given special attention, as there are loopholes that scammers use.
— For example, construction on a site may be prohibited due to its location in a protected area of a power line, or the sale documents may indicate a site adjacent to the one that was initially shown to the buyer, - notes Sergey Tunchik.
Finally, regular targeted contributions have their own peculiarities: according to the law, partnerships transfer them to the settlement account of the cooperative, and not personally to the chairman or accountant. Therefore, when making a payment, it is necessary to carefully check the accuracy of the details, concludes the interlocutor of Izvestia.
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