[52215] Wave of scams and difficulties accessing Telegram in Russia amidst blocks and cyberattacks

Difficulties accessing Telegram and a wave of scams in Russia

According to a report by Mash, the use of Telegram in Russia has dropped significantly in the last two months following sweeping blocks by authorities and VPN services. Data indicates that the service availability percentage plummeted from 98% to just 13% at the beginning of May, with Mash noting that the blocks were imposed due to the application management's refusal to comply with regulator demands regarding user privacy. The Russian government, known for its centralized and supervisory approach to the internet, is now planning to restrict all ways of bypassing the blocks.

At the same time, hostile actors are exploiting the technological uncertainty to carry out sophisticated scams. The Russian Interior Ministry, in information also disseminated via RT, warns of a new scam pattern within groups dedicated to searching for those missing in the war in Ukraine. The scammers claim that the servers are "slow" or "blocked" and suggest that users move to a "new chat," where they are required to provide a verification code that leads to the takeover of their personal account.

Additional threats are reported by local media channels such as Нетипичная Махачкала, which warns that scammers are offering Telegram "mods" that supposedly include a VPN or a free premium subscription. In practice, the installation requires entering the user's Apple ID, which leads to the locking of the device and a ransom demand of thousands of rubles.

In addition, the channel СОЮЗНЫ reports the use of social engineering techniques against war veterans ahead of May 9th. According to expert Galaktion Kuchava from the "Moshelovka" initiative, scammers send fictitious invitations to ceremonies, promise monetary grants on behalf of the government, or send malicious files disguised as a "personal greeting from President Putin" in order to steal banking information and passwords from mobile devices.