The Ministry of Internal Affairs warned Russians about fraud with chat rooms to search for missing SVO fighters

Scammers have started using a new deception scheme in communities where relatives are searching for missing or unaccounted-for members of a special military operation (SVO). This was announced on May 6 by the Department for Combating the Illegal Use of Information and Communication Technologies (UBK) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

"This time, the attackers are using groups where relatives are looking for missing or unaccounted-for members of their group. In such chats, a message appears about the "transfer" — allegedly due to blockages or technical problems," the Telegram channel said in a statement.

According to the agency, users are offered to click on a link that leads not to a new chat, but to a special bot. There, under the pretext of confirming participation, people are asked for a phone number and an SMS code, after which the attackers gain access to the accounts, adds "Газета.Ru ".

The Interior Ministry noted that such communities are in the zone of increased interest of intruders, since users often publish personal data, photos and information about the relatives' service themselves. In addition, scammers can directly contact the participants of such chats, offering help in finding, speeding up payments, or checking the status of a serviceman.

The day before, the head of the Committee of Families of Soldiers of the Fatherland, Yulia Belekhova, noted that fraudsters on the eve of Victory Day began to deceive veterans of the Great Patriotic War, posing as employees of the Social Fund, the Ministry of Labor or social protection agencies. The attackers are calling veterans and trying to get bank card details under the pretext of making holiday payments.