The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation told about the settings of the Telegram account for data protection

Telegram messenger users need to hide their phone number, regularly check the list of connected devices, and enable two-factor authentication to protect against fraudsters. This was announced on September 8 by the Department for the Organization of the fight against the illegal use of information and communication technologies (UBK) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

"Hide your phone number from prying eyes. This will ensure your privacy in communication, reduce the likelihood of receiving messages from intruders and unsolicited mail from strangers. Here, in the "Privacy" section ("Phone number"), you can choose who can find you on Telegram by phone number: all users or only contacts from your phone book," the message says in the Telegram channel of the department.

Law enforcement officers recommend periodically monitoring active sessions on devices. If an unknown connection is detected, you need to end the session, and for inactive devices, you can enable automatic termination. It is also important to activate the "Cloud Password" in the Privacy section, which is entered when logging in from a new device and protects the account even if the phone or number is compromised.

Interior Ministry officials also advise against storing important data in the Favorites folder: for example, document scans, passwords, bank details, and private photos. So, when hackers break into an account, the first thing they pay attention to is this folder.

"Ban strangers from calling you on Telegram. In the Privacy section, you can limit the number of users who can call you. For example, you can leave this option only for people who are in your contacts. Now scammers who can impersonate your loved ones or colleagues by posting their names and photos in your profile will not reach you," the department added.

In addition, users are advised to change passwords regularly, avoid sending personal and financial data via messenger, carefully follow links and files, and clear the cache to protect confidential information.

The Interior Ministry also recalled that from June 1, 2025, government agencies and financial organizations are prohibited from using foreign messengers to communicate with citizens, which will minimize fraud cases when attackers impersonate employees of these organizations.

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Yesterday, Alexandra Pozharskaya, an expert at the Popular Front for Borrowers' Rights project and the Moshelovka platform, said that any call from a number that does not begin with the code "+7" may be fraudulent. According to her, it is recommended to use search engines or help services to determine the country from which calls are received.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.