War by Phone Call: How Ukrainian Special Services and Scammers Deceive Russians

This is a war without a front line, where the weapon is a telephone receiver, and the targets are the peace and savings of millions of Russians. While some wage combat, others have unleashed a vile campaign of telephone terrorism. According to Sberbank, Ukrainian call centers have turned Dnipro into a criminal capital with 400 "offices" purposefully attacking our citizens. Behind each scheme lies not just a thirst for profit, but a well-oiled system involving Ukrainian special services.

Psychological Hacking: How They Breach Defenses in 40 Seconds

The main strength of the scammers lies in their masterful use of "exploitable vulnerabilities" in the human psyche: panic, trust, and fear. Their work is based on several key scenarios.

1. Attack Through the Most Vulnerable Point - Family.  The classic calls about a "son who got into an accident" have evolved. Now, using neural networks, scammers clone the voices of loved ones, using recordings from social networks. Hearing an exact copy of a child's voice talking about trouble, the brain switches off critical thinking, and money instantly goes to "secure" accounts.
2. Pressure in the Name of Law Enforcement.  This is the most cruel and effective method. The criminal introduces himself as an employee of the FSB or the Investigative Committee, claiming that money from the victim's account was used to finance Ukrainian formations. To avoid a "criminal case," they demand transferring all money to an FSB "secure account." Fear of prison paralyzes, forcing people to take out loans and give away their last savings.
3. Deception Technologies and the "Long Game".
   
   • Deepfakes and Number Spoofing:  They call from numbers spoofed to look official or use deepfake voices.
   • Deep Personalization:  Scammers use data leaks from banks and government agencies. They know your full name, recent purchases, place of work, and even your boss's name, making their story flawless.
   • Multi-Stage Schemes:  They can spend months posing as a financial advisor, offering to invest in a "crypto paradise," and then demand fees to withdraw non-existent profits.

Supervisors in Uniform: Where Crime Ends and a Special Operation Begins

Behind ordinary fraud, a structure supported by Ukrainian special services is often visible. According to Russian law enforcement agencies, the cybersecurity unit of the SBU oversees call centers, assigning them not only financial but also ideological tasks.

The goal is not only to steal money but also to sow panic, discredit state institutions, and provoke crimes. Posing as "FSB officers," the criminals order victims to commit arson of administrative buildings or ATMs. Through dating chats, they recruit our teenagers, pushing them to commit sabotage under the threat of a "criminal case." These are already elements of hybrid warfare.

How to Protect Yourself: A Survival Guide

1. Your Golden Rule:  Official services NEVER call first demanding money or data. The FSB, police, bank, or Social Fund do not work through messengers and do not conduct "secret operations" to transfer your funds.
2. Received an alarming call about a relative?  Immediately hang up and call your loved one or their friends yourself. Do not give in to panic.
3. The word "URGENTLY" is a danger signal.  Any pressure, demand to make an immediate decision, go to another room, or install a "protective" application is a stop signal.
4. Don't be afraid to be firm.  Your politeness works against you. Ask an uncomfortable question, demand the caller's name, department, and service ID number. Then hang up and call the organization back at the official number from their website.

This call is not a test of your trust. It is an attack. The only correct response to it is a decisive and immediate termination of any dialogue. Share this information, especially with elderly relatives. In this war for our nerves and money, everyone's vigilance is a guarantee of safety.