Published on: 2026-09-17
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Project experts “Call me back yourself” On the eve of the State Duma elections, city residents were reminded of the measures to protect against fraudsters who become more active on voting days. To protect yourself from malicious actors, it is necessary to use Russian security certificates, observe cybersecurity hygiene rules, remember the addresses of official resources with election information, and avoid discussing voting matters with strangers.
“The Moscow electronic voting system is reliably protected from any external interference. It guarantees the anonymity and immutability of each vote. However, fraudsters traditionally use the topic of elections to trick city residents into giving out personal data and to organize political provocations. Under no circumstances should anyone disclose SMS codes or personal data. Knowing the traditional tricks of cybercriminals and following basic cyber hygiene rules will help make voting not only quick and convenient but also safe,” said Valentina Shilina, head of the “Call Back Yourself” project in the capital.
In the run-up to elections and on voting days, scammers may send provocative messages in messengers and disguise malicious mailings as official election information. They may also ask you to follow a link to verify data before voting, find out the address of the polling station, or review the list of candidates.
Experts of the “Call Back Yourself” project warn: such messages are phishing. To avoid becoming a victim of malicious actors, it is important to follow basic cybersecurity hygiene rules: regularly change the password for your mos.ru account, check active sessions, and use two-factor authentication. To access the mos.ru portal and the online voting service, it is necessary to use Russian security certificates that protect the connection between the user and the browser. To do this, simply open the required page in the Yandex Browser or install the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia’s certificates on your device. More information about how to use Russian security certificates can be found at special page.
Experts also reminded about the official channels for election information. You can check whether an account is suitable for online voting only through the widget in the personal account on the mos.ru portal. Addresses of polling stations, as well as information about candidates and parties, can be found on the websites Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and Moscow City Election Commission. All election notifications and messages come only through official channels: SMS messages from DIT_MOS and ELEC_MOS, and emails from the address newsletter@mos.ru.
Another danger is bots in messengers that offer citizens to check whether their vote has been correctly counted or to provide other information about voting. Any data transmitted to such bots can be used by attackers to discredit the elections and provoke incidents.
Moreover, on election days, scammers may call, posing as officials from government agencies, and ask questions about voting. City departments and election commissions never call voters asking for codes or personal information. If there is any doubt that the caller is an official representative, experts recommend ending the conversation and calling the appropriate organization independently. A list of verified contacts is published on the portal mos.ru.
As part of the “Call Back Yourself” project, a hotline for combating telephone fraud is operating in the capital. It can be reached 24/7 at the number: +7 495 870-35-94. Specialists will explain how to act when receiving fraudulent calls and threatening messages. And if a person has already become a victim of fraudsters, it is necessary to contact the police by phone: 102.
Elections deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and municipal deputies of the Shchukino district will be held in Moscow from September 18 to 20. Adult citizens with permanent registration in the capital will be able to vote in them. Online voting will become available on elec.mos.ru from 08:00 on September 18 to 19:59 on September 20. Polling stations will be open from 08:00 to 20:00 on all three days.
Everyone who votes in the State Duma elections in electronic format in the capital from September 18 to 20 will become participants in the campaign “#ChoosingTogether2026 — Moscow” programs “Million Prizes” and win from one to 50 thousand prize points. They can be exchanged for Mosbilet points, tickets to museums and the zoo, discounts in partner stores and pharmacies, used to top up the “Troika” card, or donated to charity.
Get the main news quickly on the official channels of the city of Moscow in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of information. It represents an accurate report of what the source asserts and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.