The State Security Service of Azerbaijan has warned citizens regarding cases of cyber fraud.

Operativ Media reports that fake social media and instant messaging accounts have recently been created using phone numbers belonging to Azerbaijani mobile operators. These accounts primarily target civil servants and employees of various enterprises and organizations.

According to the State Security Service, organized cybercrime groups led by foreign nationals use specialized software to collect employee contact numbers from the official websites of government agencies and various organizations.

Messages are then sent to these individuals via WhatsApp from fake accounts created using photos of organizational heads. The messages claim to assign urgent tasks, redirecting individuals to other fake accounts created under the guise of law enforcement agencies and demanding money transfers to foreign accounts.

The State Security Service stated that as part of initiated operational and investigative measures, several individuals involved in the criminal activities have been identified, and international legal procedures have been launched against them.

Efforts are currently ongoing in cooperation with relevant foreign authorities, security divisions of international technology companies, and platform operators to fully expose the members of the criminal network.

The State Security Service urged citizens to remain vigilant against suspicious contacts on social media and instant messaging platforms and to promptly inform government authorities if they encounter such cases.