UrBC, Yekaterinburg, June 15, 2018. The Bank of Russia issued a special leaflet for arriving football supporters on how to avoid scammers during the World Football Championship days.

The bank advises visitors against handing their credit/debit card over to strangers when trying to pay for their shopping, taking out cash out of ATMs located in poorly lit, pedestrian-free streets, exchanging their cash in the street, and clicking on links sent from unfamiliar sources, and warns about the dangers of fake ruble bills.

'Please ignore any texts, emails, or calls that pretend to come from any government agency, the Bank of Russia, or FIFA 2018 org committee, especially if you are asked to make a payment of any sort. These bodies do NOT contact people with proposals of this sort,' the Central Bank explains.

Should you be given a suspicious-looking banknote, it's best not to use it as legal tender; instead, take it to any bank for a free-of-charge authenticity check.

To support foreign fans, the Bank of Russia also launched an English-interface mobile app shortly before the start of the World Cup.