International cybersecurity company Group-IB told Sputnik on Monday that it had detected fraudulent websites and Telegram channels, offering special digital passes for the period of self-isolation in Moscow and other regions in Russia for 3,000-5,5000 rubles ($40-$70).
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th April, 2020) International cybersecurity company Group-IB told Sputnik on Monday that it had detected fraudulent websites and Telegram channels, offering special digital passes for the period of self-isolation in Moscow and other regions in Russia for 3,000-5,5000 rubles ($40-$70).
On Saturday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin signed a decree according to which digital passes would be required for people traveling in Moscow and the Moscow Region on personal and public transport, starting on April 15. The decree approved only three options for obtaining those passes - online at mos.ru, by calling the Moscow government unified inquiry service and by sending an SMS to a specially designated number. Any other means of applying for digital passes are unofficial and can be used by scammers to illegally obtain citizens' personal data.
"Group-IB is detecting the emergence of new scam websites and Telegram channels offering to obtain pass certificates for the quarantine period for residents of Moscow and Russian regions. Fraudsters claim that they will make the pass online, without forms and applications - they only require a passport scan," the company said.
In particular, one such illegal website offered a 3,500 ruble pass allowing the holder to move around Moscow, 3,500 to move in other regions, 4,000 to enter Moscow or St. Petersburg, and 4,500 to enter other regions, the company added.
Meanwhile, Telegram channels are trading passes for 3,000-5,500 rubles, Group-IB said.
"To buy a pass, you need to send your initials to these channels' administrators; they promise to issue a pass in a couple of hours and send it in digital format," the Group-IB noted, warning that all such services were scams.
The storage and processing of personal data collected for the issuance of official digital passes will be carried out in accordance with Russia's law on personal data, according to Sobyanin's decree.
