Russians have been warned about a new telephone fraud scheme related to the "accelerated" processing of passports. Attackers promise to obtain the document in three days, but as a result, people lose money and risk their personal data.
The press service of the Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office warned about the increase in such cases. The scenario is always approximately the same. A person is promised to get a passport in just three days, asked to send scans of documents and make full prepayment.
Scammers request scanned copies of a passport, SNILS, TIN and other documents. After that, they assure that they will issue a passport without queuing and even guarantee obtaining a visa to any country.
In fact, no registration takes place. The received documents are used to register electronic wallets and financial accounts. Through them, fraudsters carry out illegal operations — including theft and withdrawal of money.
In order not to fall for this scheme, the prosecutor's office advises to apply for a passport only through official channels — MFC, the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the "Gosuslugi" portal.
It is also important not to transfer scans of documents to strangers and to be careful about any unexpected requests to transfer money or receive a transfer to an account.