Scams Terrorizing Irkutsk Residents: A Warning from the Governor
Individuals in Angarya allegedly sent 577 million rubles to suspected scammers.
In a tell-all post on his Telegram channel, the Governor of Irkutsk Oblast, Igor Kobyzev, shared a chilling summary of the scam activity that's been plaguing the region in the first five months of 2025.
Here's the grim picture he painted:
"Over the past five months, no less than 716 inhabitants of our region fell victim to scammers, losing a staggering 577 million rubles to these crooks," he began. "The highest recorded amount swindled was an eye-watering 30 million rubles!"
Kobyzev revealed that these swindling schemes have become a revolving door, with repeated scams such as dodgy investment offers, fake calls from banks, law enforcement, and even mobile operators, and messages from impostors posing as leaders of various businesses via messengers.
A new twist in the story, according to Kobyzev, comes in the form of scammers masquerading as sellers of Labu toys on Telegram. These bots offer toys in exchange for a review and conduct giveaways – all tricks to lure unsuspecting victims into their web.
However, the most prevalent method of fleecing residents in Irkutsk Oblast today involves fake calls from non-existent employees of an energy supply company. In May alone, these scoundrels managed to siphon off 1.3 million rubles from an Angarsk resident, and since the beginning of the year, similar scams have defrauded 23 residents of the region, totaling 47 million rubles in losses.
As a precaution, the Russian government implemented a federal law targeting scammers on June 1. The law bars government agencies and banks from sending messages through foreign messengers. Also, the "Gosuslugi" portal introduced a new password change procedure that requires a special confirmation code when a call isn't being made on the mobile device at the time.
Kobyzev concluded his post with a stern reminder: "Remember to always be cautious when communicating with strangers and heed the advice – if in doubt, call 02. Stay vigilant and protect yourself!"
While not specific to Irkutsk Oblast, cybersecurity threats – particularly phishing and cryptocurrency scams – have escalated in Russia in 2025. For instance, a suspect was arrested in the Irkutsk Region for involvement in a cryptocurrency mining scam that cleaned out about 100 victims to the tune of 270 million rubles (approximately $3.2 million) through a "mining hotel" scheme[2][4]. Moreover, the use of SVG files for phishing has risen, indicating a proliferation of cyber threats[3].
With these insights in mind, it's more crucial than ever for residents of the Irkutsk Oblast, and indeed all Russians, to stay alert and safeguard their hard-earned money and personal information.
In the realm of general-news, the escalating scams in Irkutsk Oblast, as revealed by the governor, involve not only traditional methods like investment offers and fake calls but also innovative ones, such as labu toy scams on Telegram. Meanwhile, politics and crime-and-justice intertwine as cybersecurity threats, including phishing and cryptocurrency scams, remain a growing concern across Russia, with significant losses being reported in the Irkutsk Region.
