In the first five months of 2025, the number of child and adolescent victims of cyber fraud increased by 25% compared to the same period last year. Attackers are increasingly targeting minors, but their main goal is the parents' money, according to the Department of Cyber Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
One of the main schemes used by fraudsters against children is authorization codes. Scammers use calls and send messages, posing as educational institutions, government agencies or telecom operators.
Now, for example, the image of a fake psychologist is used, who requires the child to pass a test. After registering on a phishing resource and transferring the code to the attacker, an attack on the "Gosuslugi" portal is simulated, fake technical support and law enforcement officers are connected.
Attackers intimidate minors to gain access to their parents' money.
Another scheme is fraud in the sale/purchase of game accounts or valuables. Teenagers are faced with fake sites that look like online game pages. There, for a small fee, they promise game currency, characters or items. When a child enters their bank card details, fraudsters gain access to their account and lose all their money. In some cases, children are persuaded to transfer their parents' payment details in order to buy game currency.
"Answers" to the Unified State Exam. Scammers create groups and channels, offering access to "real" tasks and answers to the state exam for money. After payment, teenagers either receive useless or old materials, or lose access altogether.
Attackers also create fake stores in messengers with attractive prices for branded clothing, gadgets or cosmetics. After prepayment, the "seller" either blocks the teenager or sends him a fake product of low quality. The money is not returned, and the accounts of stores are quickly closed.
In addition, fraudsters can disguise malicious programs as photos or videos, sending links or files. Sources of such threats can also be unlicensed games and software. Depending on the type of malware, you can lose data, money, or even run illegal cryptocurrency mining for fraudsters on your device.
Earlier, the State Duma called for children to be given a ban on calls from unknown numbers in Telegram and WhatsApp.
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