The Ministry of Internal Affairs revealed a scheme of fraud with installments by changing the subscriber number

On October 23, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation reported on a widespread fraud scheme in which the theft of funds occurs through the purchase of goods in installments after the owner changes the subscriber's phone number.

"The attacker acquires an out—of-use subscriber number and uses it to verify and log into the marketplace application," TASS quoted law enforcement officials as saying.

Representatives of the department noted that after illegally gaining access to the accounts of Russians, fraudsters can arrange the purchase of goods in installments on marketplaces, harming account holders.

Debt is stolen by payment: why scammers transfer money to Russians

Unexpected payment to the card may be part of a fraudulent scheme.

On the same day, Informzashita holding specialists reported that Russian citizens were more often led to one of the tricks of criminals interested in stealing confidential data or funds through phishing sites. So, according to their information, from January to September 2025, the number of victims increased approximately four times compared to the same period last year, 2024.

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