Authorities in Iran, Algeria, and Russia have issued a series of public warnings about impersonation scams in which fraudsters pose as official institutions to extract sensitive personal and financial data from citizens. The alerts, published in recent days, describe a range of techniques including fraudulent SMS messages, fake social media pages, and deceptive phone calls.

Iran’s National Tax Administration cautioned that fake text messages are being sent in its name, directing recipients to click on unknown links and provide identity information or make payments under the pretext of obtaining a signature certificate for the taxpayer system. The organisation stressed that all official communications are sent only from verified numbers. Separately, Algeria Post warned its customers about counterfeit pages and links on social media that misuse its name and logo to lure users into disclosing account credentials. The postal service stated that protecting customer accounts and information is its top priority and urged the public to report any suspicious pages.

In Russia, the Interior Ministry described a scheme in which a fraudster deliberately leaves a bank card in an ATM, then accuses the person who picks it up of theft, using planted witnesses to demand money. The ministry also flagged calls from individuals posing as bank employees who claim accounts are blocked by an ‘Antifraud’ system. Meanwhile, Iranian cyber police reported that scammers are phoning citizens with offers of prizes or discounts and requesting the SMS confirmation code sent to their mobile phones. Once obtained, the code is used to access credit-based purchasing accounts such as SnappPay and DigiPay, leaving the victim liable for the resulting debt. A Russian lawmaker, Anton Nemkin, separately warned of calls from fake marketplace employees who ask for an SMS code to cancel a non-existent storage charge, noting that such codes can be used to hijack accounts.

All the affected institutions advised the public to avoid clicking on unsolicited links, to keep confirmation codes confidential, and to verify any suspicious communication through official channels. Algeria Post emphasised that customer vigilance is the first line of defence, while Iran’s tax authority urged taxpayers to use only official portals. The authorities have called on citizens to report fraudulent activity, and investigations are ongoing, though no arrests or specific enforcement actions were detailed in the statements.