A new fraud scheme in Russia uses fake messages about noise complaints to trick people into clicking harmful links, according to Russian authorities. The messages, sent via messaging apps, claim that a neighbour has filed a complaint about noise at the recipient’s address and ask them to open an attachment or follow a link to provide an explanation.

Ivan Sollovyev, head of the consumer protection project “Don’t Let Yourself Be Deceived,” told state news agency RIA Novosti that clicking the link triggers a familiar fraud chain: subsequent calls from individuals posing as law enforcement officers, attempts to recruit the victim into criminal activity, or efforts to extract money. The Russian Interior Ministry has separately warned of a two-stage phone scam in which fraudsters first obtain an SMS code under a harmless pretext, then call back pretending to be security officials to gain trust and direct financial transactions.

The Russian alert coincides with warnings from other regions about increasingly sophisticated social engineering. In Mexico, the Welfare Secretariat cautioned beneficiaries of social programmes that fraudsters are making calls and sending texts falsely requesting personal and banking data in the name of official agencies. In Brazil, a report by fraud detection firm BioCatch recorded a 220% rise in bank fraud in the first half of last year, with criminals using artificial intelligence to create personalised voice simulations and urgent fake security alerts. Indonesian financial regulators are pushing banks and fintech firms to adopt AI-driven fraud management systems, as digital payment transactions in the country surged 42.86% year-on-year to 5.15 billion in April, according to Bank Indonesia.

No arrest figures or victim counts have been released in connection with the Russian noise-complaint scam. Authorities across the affected countries are urging the public to avoid clicking unsolicited links, to never share verification codes or passwords, and to verify any suspicious communication through official channels. Investigations are ongoing.