An influential warning about fraud in 2025 comes from a senior executive at a major financial institution who explains how criminals are likely to operate as digital channels expand and workforces rely more on remote communication. The Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors at Sberbank outlined several patterns that risk becoming common as attackers adapt to new technologies. He noted that the most worrying moves involve taking control of civil service accounts, exploiting official messaging channels, and engineering social interactions to gain sensitive information. In his view, three core techniques stand out. The first is the theft of an account used within civil service environments, a tactic that gives a criminal a veneer of legitimacy when corresponding with colleagues or citizens. The second is the use of instant messaging to speak as a real or imagined boss, a dangerous trick that can trigger urgent actions before a human operator has time to verify. The third involves deceiving individuals to collect data and then executing calls made to look as if they originate from internal departments. Taken together, these patterns illuminate a trend: fraudsters are leaning on trust, authenticity, and the friction of ordinary processes to slip past security checks. The broader implication is that day-to-day activities like approving a transfer, confirming a meeting, or resetting a password could be abused if identity verification is lax and if staff members do not routinely question unusual requests. The message points to the need for a layered defense that blends technical safeguards with human vigilance. That means enforcing strong authentication for critical accounts, pairing it with clear verification steps for sensitive actions, and creating a culture where employees pause and confirm before acting on high-stakes requests. It also means ensuring that official communications channels have clear security standards, with rules about who can initiate approvals and how messages from leadership should be validated. As the year approaches, security teams are advised to monitor for atypical login activity, unusual messaging patterns, and requests that deviate from established procedures. This shift in attacker behavior—favoring social manipulation over obvious intrusions—highlights the necessity of ongoing training, periodic reviews of access rights, and rapid incident response playbooks that can adapt to evolving threats on multiple fronts.
Delving into the three identified schemes reveals how they can unfold in real life. The civil service account theft relies on attackers gaining access to a jurisdiction or agency’s online portal so they can operate under a sanctioned-looking profile. A criminal might use the compromised account to request information, approve a transaction, or share documents that appear legitimate, thereby lowering the guard of coworkers and service recipients. This underscores why organizations must segment access, apply strict authentication to every administrative credential, and monitor unusual account activity that does not match a user’s typical pattern. The fake boss or manager ploy centers on social engineering conducted through popular chat apps and messaging tools. The goal is to create a sense of urgency and authority, prompting quick replies or silent compliance. Staff should be trained to verify any unusual instruction through a separate, trusted channel and to resist pressure tactics that press for speed or secrecy. Finally, deception to obtain data for fake department calls combines information gathering with impersonation. Criminals may pose as colleagues, HR staff, or vendor representatives to collect permissions, passwords, or contact details, then leverage those items to carry out more convincing phone or video calls. To blunt this risk, organizations can implement confirmations for sensitive actions, maintain up-to-date contact lists that clearly show authorized communication lines, and deploy call-verification procedures that are well documented and easy to follow. In addition, employees should be taught to verify the caller’s identity by cross-checking through an official contact directory, never disclose confidential details over unsecured channels, and report suspicious requests immediately so security teams can intervene before harm occurs.
Beyond technology, resilience against fraud hinges on people and processes. Regular training sessions, real-world simulations, and clear incident reporting channels help staff recognize red flags early. Governed workflows with separate duties, just-in-case access, and strong monitoring can blunt the impact of breaches even when a credential is compromised. Organizations are advised to implement two-factor authentication on key systems, enforce strong password hygiene, and limit what any one employee can approve or access. Keeping software and defenses current, auditing access rights periodically, and reviewing security policies on a quarterly basis all contribute to a safer environment. For individuals, a cautious approach to unsolicited requests, even if they come from seemingly legitimate sources, can prevent many scams. When in doubt, pause, verify, and use official channels to confirm a request before taking action. The landscape of fraud continues to evolve, but with steady vigilance, practical controls, and a culture of verification, it is possible to reduce risk significantly. Updates on these developments are expected as the situation progresses, and organizations are encouraged to stay informed through trusted security advisories and internal communications.”