Senior lecturer at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics Olga…
Senior lecturer at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics Olga Chirikova warned that scammers are calling Russians pretending to be clinic staff, threatening cancellation of the compulsory medical insurance policy (OMS), and extracting data for account access, according to RT.
Consensus
- Mothers are being targeted by phone scammers in Russia who pretend to be clinic staff.
- Scammers use official health campaigns, such as those for medical check-ups, to gain trust.
- The scam involves pressuring victims with urgency and threats of losing their OMS insurance or medical records.
- Victims are asked to provide SMS codes, SNILS numbers, passport details, and other personal information.
- Scammers aim to gain access to the victim's 'Gosuslugi' account using these credentials.
- Experts advise not to share SMS codes or personal data over the phone and to verify calls through official websites.
- It is recommended to enable two-factor authentication on 'Gosuslugi' and avoid clicking suspicious links.
Points of divergence
- The scam specifically involves offering to 'transfer a paper medical card to online format' or 'update data in the EMIAS system'. — riamo
- After gaining access to 'Gosuslugi', scammers contact victims again pretending to be from the portal's support service or law enforcement, claiming a hack and urging money transfer to a safe account. — vesti
- The scam has two stages: first, obtaining an SMS code under a pretext like home security checks; second, impersonating police to confirm the threat and induce victims to transfer funds. — kommersant
Coverage (3 sources)
- RUE warns about scammers offering to 'convert medical records online' — РИАМО
- Scammers Started Calling from the Names of Clinics and Threatening Cancellation of OMS Insurance — Вести
- Ministry of Internal Affairs warns about phone fraud schemes involving social engineering — Коммерсантъ
Key entities
- MVD
- RT
- OMS
- Olga Chirikova
- Moscow
- RUE named after G.V. Plekhanov
- Russian Economic University named after G. V. Plekhanov
- REU