Russians Cautioned Against Digital Ruble Scam

Experts from F6 have uncovered a fraudulent scheme promising passive income through investments in the digital ruble.

The scheme is propagated across several websites, all created using a uniform template and registered between March 18 and April 4.

On the webpage, users encounter the digital ruble logo and a chatbot with a “personal manager,” who claims that “income of up to 100,000 rubles can be earned from the first days.”

The minimum “investment” amount is 10,000 rubles.

Subsequently, under the guise of calculating potential earnings, users are asked to answer several questions, including age, citizenship, employment status, financial goals, and income range.

The chatbot also requests the user’s name, surname, and contact phone number. This information is later used by fraudsters to call citizens, persuading them to make a “deposit.” Any transfers will lead to a complete loss of invested funds, experts warned.

The law on the digital ruble came into effect on August 1, 2023. Over 30 banks and companies participated in the CBDC testing. At their request, the mass launch of the new form of national currency, initially planned for July 1, 2025, has been postponed indefinitely.

In the summer of 2024, fraudsters deceived Russians into transferring funds to the digital ruble, claiming that cash and non-cash payments had become obsolete.