Police Warn Against Saying 'Yes' to Strangers
Moscow police recommend avoiding phrases such as 'yes', 'I confirm', and 'I agree' when speaking to strangers, and not revealing one's surname or first name, reports TASS citing materials from the press service of the Moscow regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Consensus
- Police advise against saying 'yes,' 'I confirm,' or 'I agree' during phone calls with strangers.
- Personal details such as full name should not be shared with unknown callers.
- Speech and video can be recorded and manipulated by scammers.
- Users should minimize conversation with unknown callers.
- Two-factor authentication is recommended as a protective measure.
- Automatic media downloads in messengers should be disabled.
- Antivirus software should be installed on devices.
- Suspicious messages should be verified through known contacts.
- Users should avoid clicking on suspicious links.
- If a website seems unusual, users should close it and access the service manually via official app or site.
- Scammers may use fake websites to steal user data.
Points of divergence
- On September 30, the MVD unit combating illegal use of ICT reported that scammers launched a fake website called 'Department of Digital Protection' to collect user data under the guise of checking 'Gosuslugi' account security. — vedomosti
- On September 28, the MVD reported that scammers use information about workplace and SNILS number to create targeted fraud schemes, including fake work chat groups. — vedomosti
- Scammers increasingly use multi-stage deception schemes targeting children, starting with simple requests and ending with demands for money or valuable items. — vm
- Government officials do not call or message in messengers. — tg_rian_ru
Coverage (6 sources)
- In the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was stated that strangers cannot say the words 'yes' and 'confirm' — Вечерняя Москва
- In the Ministry of Internal Affairs, phrases to avoid in conversation with strangers were named — Ведомости
- What phrases you should not say to strangers on the phone, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has explained. — РИА Новости (Telegram)
- In the Ministry of Internal Affairs advised in conversation with unknowns not to say phrases 'yes', 'confirm', 'agree', and also not to name one's own surname, name for the purpose of observing basic rules of digital hygiene. — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Police named dangerous words when talking with unknowns — Вести
- In the Ministry of Internal Affairs called not to share personal data in conversation with strangers — Москва 24