Russian authorities are cautioning the public about a new scam related to the digital ruble, designed to trick people into sending money to scammers. According to reports from Pravda and a Telegram post from the cybercrime unit of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, scammers are using messages to create a sense of urgency among citizens.
The fraudulent messages, claiming to be from the Russian Central Bank, suggest that people’s cash and savings are in an “outdated format” and must be exchanged for digital currency immediately. The scammers then instruct victims to transfer money to a special account to avoid their funds becoming unusable.
Police have noted an increase in these digital ruble-themed fraud attempts and are warning the public to stay vigilant. Despite the Central Bank’s efforts to pilot its digital ruble and launch it nationwide next year, there have been criticisms about the lack of communication with citizens regarding these plans.
The Central Bank aims to further test its digital token in the coming months and hopes to conduct cross-border pilot programs with friendly nations to reduce reliance on the US dollar in Russian trade. The initial stage of the CBDC pilot was launched last year in 11 cities across Russia, involving collaboration with 20 banks, both state-run and privately owned.
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