Valentina Matviyenko, chair of the Russian Federation Council, called on citizens not to answer calls from unknown numbers.
Matviyenko said that especially elderly people should not speak on the phone with people they don't know. Stating that state agencies do not call citizens by phone, she stressed that no one should be trusted, regardless of who they claim to be.
Speaking after the discussion of new measures to combat fraud in the Federation Council, Matviyenko said that such calls could put people at greater risk.
Matviyenko noted that she too receives calls from unknown numbers from time to time, and that she immediately deletes and disregards them.
Matviyenko's remarks were among the latest public warnings against phone fraud in Russia.