Scammers have come up with a new way to deceive Russians who have foreign accounts. Fraudsters send out notifications about the need to submit reports on these accounts, but attach fake links to them. Clicking on such links can lead to leakage of personal data or theft of money, said Maxim Semov, Chairman of the Committee for Improving Financial Literacy of the Association of Russian Banks, expert of the NIFI project of the Ministry of Finance of Russia "Myfinance.rf".
The specialist said that recently Russians have begun to receive notifications on behalf of banks and tax authorities via messengers. These messages contain a reminder of the need to provide information about foreign accounts to the Federal Tax Service.
Indeed, in 2025, Russians are required to report income from foreign accounts to the Federal Tax Service by June 2. Therefore, taking advantage of the current agenda, criminals are trying to catch inattentive citizens in their nets on the eve and send out links to fake sites. Clicking on them will, at best, lead to leakage of personal data, and at worst, to debiting of funds.
He noted that the scheme of deception, in which attackers impersonate officials, is not new. However, using it in combination with foreign accounts is a new method.
In general, the disguise of criminals as tax authorities is a seasonal phenomenon. It arises closer to the dates of submission of reports, declarations, and so on.
To protect yourself, you need to be vigilant and never pay taxes via links. Do it directly in your personal taxpayer account, on the "Gosuslugi" portal, or in the "Taxes FL" application.
Earlier, the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia announced the introduction of a new function on the "Gosuslugi" portal. From the third quarter of 2025, users will be able to appoint a trusted person to confirm a password change.
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