Scammers have started deceiving residents of Moscow by sending fraudulent requests that pretend to come from the school administration. The warning was issued by the Moscow Ministry of Education through its Telegram channel, which cautions families and students about these impersonation attempts and the harm they can cause. In recent weeks, observers have noted an uptick in messages that imitate official correspondence, aiming to create urgency and compliance. Those messages often instruct recipients to act quickly, creating a sense of authority while bypassing ordinary verification steps. The risk is highest for parents and older students who may be busy with schedules and tempted by seemingly legitimate requests. The mechanism typically involves social engineering tactics designed to bypass skepticism by leveraging familiar school branding, such as logos, letterhead, and familiar names. The scammers often request information or access that can compromise accounts or personal data, sometimes leveraging SMS codes or links to spoofed official portals. The public advisory emphasizes the need for vigilance, especially when messages arrive from unfamiliar numbers or channels that claim to represent a school or its administration. It also highlights that any request for sensitive information should be verified through official channels, not through spontaneous replies to messages. The situation has prompted families to review their security habits and to insist on direct confirmations from schools before sharing any personal details or codes.
