First-year university students and their parents face fake dormitory room scams ahead of the new academic year, media analyst Vladimir Zykov has warned.
Fraudsters are posing as university staff, dormitory wardens, or influential intermediaries to offer fake room reservations in exchange for upfront payments, according to a report by Russian news outlet RT.
The fraudsters approach incoming students with offers to book rooms in advance, request security deposits, or demand payment for priority placement and official assistance. Zykov, who serves as editor-in-chief of the analytical publication Runet, explained that the scheme relies heavily on creating a sense of urgency while exploiting victims trust in educational institutions.
To make the offers appear legitimate, criminals send fake documents or direct targets to fraudulent payment pages designed to harvest financial details. Victims who fall for the trick risk losing tens of thousands of rubles while receiving no accommodation in return.
Understanding the dormitory fraud scheme
Runet refers to the Russian-language segment of the internet and its dedicated digital publications, while RT is a major Russian news network. In Russia, higher education institutions traditionally allocate dormitory spaces to out-of-town students through centralized administrative departments prior to the start of classes in September. Official dormitory fees are regulated and processed through verified institutional channels rather than informal transfers or third-party contacts.
Verifying official room offers
Zykov urged prospective students and parents to verify any accommodation offer directly through official contact details published on official university or dormitory websites. He emphasized that when a university genuinely provides housing, all allocation details and payment instructions must be officially confirmed by the institution.
The warning comes amid broader concerns over student accommodation fraud as the academic year approaches. Experts previously warned students about another scam scheme involving private apartment rentals targeting young people looking for housing ahead of the school term.
