Fraudsters have learned how to fake the voices and images of public employees of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation

Fraudsters operating remotely have increasingly resorted to artificial intelligence (AI) to carry out their schemes — they use technology to generate audio and video content with the participation of investigative staff and require their victims to transfer money to them. This was announced on January 13 by Dmitry Kanonerov, head of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Kaliningrad Region.

"Fraudsters use the positions and surnames of employees of our department, who often appear on television with comments on criminal cases. They use artificial intelligence that can generate a voice. Recently, my deputy received a voice message "from me." It's very similar, actually," he said in an interview with TASS.

The agency's interlocutor said that most often criminals conduct a dialogue with citizens who believe them impolitely — they are rude, intimidate the interlocutor, and also exert emotional pressure on him. Kanonerov added that representatives of his department never perform any procedural actions remotely and do not require Russians to transfer money to other accounts.

Welcome with a twinkle: what cyber threats to expect from hackers in 2026

AI-based services will make the actions of cybercriminals much more dangerous.

Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation reported on January 6 that popular superstitions and false beliefs that prevent users from protecting themselves from cyberbullies include myths about the reliability of antivirus software and the installation of cacti near the monitor. The ministry urged Russian citizens not to rely on intuition in this matter, but to follow security rules: do not provide codes and do not transfer money at the request of unknown persons.

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