A resident of Cheboksary learned a hard lesson about online fraud after trying to assess their IQ through a website and ending up in a scam. The incident was later reported on the official site of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Chuvash Republic.
The person who took the test did not receive an immediate result. Instead of scoring the test, the site asked for bank card information, turning the moment of self‑assessment into a riskier encounter with scammers.
According to the ministry’s report, the service charged 33 rubles. A Cheboksary resident who did not have access to personal funds entered her husband’s card details, and soon after, 2,533 rubles were withdrawn from that account in a rapid transfer.
Police received a report from a 29‑year‑old man who contacted Police Department No. 3 of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Cheboksary. He explained that his wife had become a victim of scammers who targeted her on a website offering an IQ test or similar service.
A criminal case has been opened against an unidentified individual for theft of money. Investigators emphasize that bank card information must be kept confidential and never shared online with unknown sites or services.
The incident serves as a reminder that even seemingly harmless online tests may become a gateway for financial theft if personal payment details are entered. Citizens are urged to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of any service before providing payment information. It is advised to use official channels and trusted platforms for any online assessments, and to monitor bank statements for unauthorized transactions. The public information campaign stresses the importance of safeguarding financial data and reporting suspicious activity to local authorities promptly. [Citation: Ministry of Internal Affairs, Cheboksary].