Narodny Front

Scammers Impersonate Social Fund to Threaten Child Benefit Cancellation and Steal Savings

Fraudsters have launched a new social engineering campaign targeting parents by impersonating officials from Russia's Social Fund. Callers claim that suspicious transfers have been detected on family accounts and threaten the cancellation of child benefits unless savings are moved to a special transit account. The scheme relies on fabricated rules about income assessment and uses the promise of an 'unreported' account to trick victims into sending money. The Narodny Front's Moshelovka platform, cited by RIA Novosti, confirms that the Social Fund never requests transfers to third-party accounts for benefit verification. Families are instructed to check official notifications exclusively through Gosuslugi or by visiting an SFR office in person. Authentication codes from government services or banking apps must never be shared over the phone.

Scammers Impersonate Gas Workers to Pressure Russians into Overpriced Repairs Before September 1 Deadline

Fraudsters have started visiting apartments and private homes in Russia, posing as employees of gas services or management companies. They claim to have discovered critical issues such as gas leaks, faulty valves, problematic meters, or dangerous chimneys during supposed August inspections. Residents are warned that gas will be disconnected by September 1 unless immediate and expensive repairs are paid for on the spot. In some cases, scammers demand prepayments for urgent work and then disappear with the money. Victims are often charged 5 to 10 times the market price for equipment replacement. The Moshelovka platform of the Narodny Front has reported these incidents and issued safety recommendations. Residents are advised to verify maintenance schedules in advance and never pay cash or transfer money to individuals without confirmation.