The Ministry of Internal Affairs named the most common fraud schemes in 2025

Money transfer to "secure accounts", investments in cryptocurrency, phishing links and prepayment for goods became the main schemes of fraudsters in 2025. This was announced on November 22 by the press service of the Russian Interior Ministry.

"This year, the most common method of committing remote theft is still the transfer of funds to a "secure account."..> One of the most common fraud schemes is to attract citizens' funds allegedly in order to earn additional income, for example, to invest in cryptocurrency. <...> A significant number of remote thefts are committed using trading platforms on the Internet," RIA Novosti quoted the agency as saying.

The ministry explained that when using a scheme with a "secure account", attackers call citizens, posing as law enforcement officers, government agencies or financial organizations. They warn about questionable transactions and convince you to transfer money to a "secure account" or transfer it to a courier. In some cases, criminals exploit the geopolitical situation and threaten to bring them to criminal responsibility for allegedly providing assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

Fraudulent schemes involving investments in cryptocurrencies are particularly popular. Scammers create specialized resources where they offer account management services under the guise of successful brokers. Profit information is artificially generated in personal accounts, which encourages victims to contribute new funds. As explained in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, after the cessation of income, fraudsters block access to accounts and steal money.

A significant number of crimes, according to the agency, are committed using online trading platforms. Criminals, under the pretext of organizing a secure transaction, send phishing links through messengers, through which they receive the data of the victims' bank cards.

A prepayment scheme is also common for goods or services that are not subsequently provided.

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On November 10, Informzashita experts told Izvestia that on the eve of Black Friday, fraudsters were attacking Russians via email and messengers and claiming that their purchases gave them the right to participate in a raffle of valuable prizes. It was clarified that the scammers offer victims to register on the site, while using an account on Gosuslugi. To be convincing, they create chats with the alleged participants of the practical jokes, most of whom are bots. After gaining access to "Public Services," attackers can steal valuable data, issue microloans, and gain access to other accounts, including in banking applications.

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