The Cyber Police are warning about a scam spreading on the TikTok social platform that offers Armenian citizens alleged material aid of 350,000 drams from a state fund. Behind this offer is actually a fraudulent scheme aimed at taking over citizens' Telegram accounts.
According to the Cyber Police warning, citizens are asked to follow the link in the post within a limited time frame and fill out the corresponding application to receive the money. However, the criminals are using this method to try to gain access to citizens' Telegram accounts, depriving them of the ability to use their accounts.
The Cyber Police also warn that hijacked accounts can be used for other criminal activities, including extortion, fraud, and the use of similar schemes against other citizens.
Citizens are urged to verify information about state support programs exclusively through the official sources of the relevant state bodies. The Cyber Police urge caution regarding financial offers spread by unknown sources and to maintain the security of online accounts.
This scheme is notable in that the promised sum—350,000 drams—is large enough that many would not rush to doubt it. The scammers know this and play on that very hope, adding time pressure so that a person has no time to think.
Particularly important in the Cyber Police warning is the idea that a hijacked Telegram account is not an end in itself: it can then be used for extortion, fraud, and the same schemes—this time in the victim's name and against their circle of contacts. In other words, with one click the problem extends beyond just one person.
The advice to verify information about state support programs through official sources sounds simple, but it is precisely the links spreading on social networks that most often bypass that habit.
