Scammers have deceived Russians over 142,000 times via messaging apps since the start of the year.

In Russia, over 142,000 cases of fraud via online messengers were recorded in the first half of 2025. Instant messaging services have become a tool for remote theft, according to the press center of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“In the first six months of 2025, 142,191 crimes were registered, committed using instant messaging services (internet messengers),” the statement said.

Citizens were reminded to exercise caution when using instant messaging services. Statistics show they are the most common tool for remote theft.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs also noted that online communication services are being used by Ukrainian special services to recruit Russians for various crimes.