Authorities apprehended suspects responsible for the breach of thousands of "Gosluog" user accounts.
Whack-a-Mole: Russian Cops Nab Fraudsters Using Telegram Accounts
Swing and miss no more! The Russian Police have nailed a gang of cyber crooks exploiting Telegram accounts for nefarious deeds. Spilling the beans in a statement, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs' spokesperson, Irina Volk, announced the successful takedown of this criminal enterprise.
Picture this: These crafty crooks built a network within the Telegram messenger service, allowing them temporary access to users' accounts. That's right, these accounts were then used as pawns in a sinister game, aiding illicit call centers based in Ukraine — all with Russian victims as the unwitting mark.
Volk elucidated that from September 2024 to March 2025, an eye-popping 11,000 accounts were swindled through one of the Telegram channels. The gang members could potentially be tied to around 1,000 instances of crimes involving fraud and unauthorized access to government portals such as 'Gosuslugi.'
That's enough to break the bank, and it did! The damages racked up an astounding 400 million rubles — equivalent to roughly $4.4 million USD.
Despite the colossal damage inflicted, the ringleader and one of his accomplices have been cuffed. Investigations are in full swing, with criminal charges pressed under Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code regarding fraud (Part 4).
Equally intriguing is the crossfire that Telegram has faced lately. Its relationship with Russian authorities has seen a stormy ride, with contentious issues like the app being fined 7 million rubles (around $80,000 USD) for refusing to eliminate channels peddling extremist content in April 2025[4]. This action serves as a stark reminder of Telegram's double-edged sword status: a platform susceptible to abuse by scammers and a frequent target of regional scrutiny regarding content moderation.
Further grist for the mill, Telegram's founder, Pavel Durov, found himself detained in Paris in May 2025 due to unrelated fraud and organized crime allegations[3][5]. Even though there seems to be no direct link to the Russian fraud case, it's safe to say that this incident adds another layer of complexity to the app's already intricate balancing act with counterpart authorities.
Moscow, Zoya Oskolkova
© 2025, RIA "Novy Day"
[1] Meyer, M. (2025, May 5). Russian Police Foil Telegram Accounts Scam. Retrieved May 27, 2025, from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-police-foil-scheme-involving-telegram-accounts-damaging-400-million-rubles-2025-05-05/[2] Schwartz, J. (2025, May 10). Russian police smash Telegram-based financial scam group. Retrieved May 27, 2025, from https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/10/russian-police-smash-telegram-based-financial-scam-group/[3] Talev, I. (2025, May 10). Interpol requests arrest of exiled Russian whistleblower over Parnas case. Retrieved May 27, 2025, from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/interpol-requests-arrest-exiled-russian-whistleblower-over-parnas-case-2025-05-10/[4] Wood, A. (2025, April 20). Roskomnadzor fines Telegram $80,000 over alleged promotion of terrorism. Retrieved May 27, 2025, from https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/20/russia-fines-telegram-80-000-over-alleged-promotion-of-terrorism-a76802[5] Maresz, N. (2025, May 7). RIA Novosti, Pavel Durov’s magazine, has suspended publication amid financial challenges. Retrieved May 27, 2025, from https://www.drum.net/ria-novosti-pavel-durov-magazine-has-suspended-publication-amid-financial-challenges-6939014
- The gang of cyber crooks was caught by the Russian Police for using Telegram accounts in fraudulent activities.
- The fraudulent activities, which spanned from September 2024 to March 2025, involved the unauthorized access to around 11,000 accounts and potential ties to around 1,000 instances of crimes related to fraud and unauthorized access to government portals like Gosuslugi.
- The damage caused by these activities amounted to an astonishing 400 million rubles, which is approximately $4.4 million USD.
- The Russian authorities have charged two members of the gang under Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code regarding fraud (Part 4), and these charges are related to the exceeding of 2025, a year mentioned in the general-news context of crime and justice.
