Proposed legislation imposes penalties for individuals who intentionally litter in the Russian parliament, the State Duma.
New and Tough Penalties Unleashed for Digital Thieves in Russia
Listen up, cyber crooks! The Russian government's recently enacted changes to Article 187 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (unauthorized payment operations) are about to hit your pockets hard. If you're caught transferring your personal bank card to a fraudster for a fee to perform illegal activities, you're staring at up to three years behind bars. And if you're foolhardy enough to conduct unauthorized money transfers at someone else's request, the same prison sentence awaits you.
But here's where it gets really juicy - if you're a dropper, using other people's cards and digital wallets, you could face up to six years in the slammer and a whopping fine of 300,000 to 1,000,000 rubles. If you dabble in acquiring a card from a non-bank client for illegal operations or transfer it to scoundrels, expect a maximum prison sentence of six years and a fine of 100,000 to 500,000 rubles.
The explanatory note makes it crystal clear - proactive cooperation with law enforcement by voluntarily reporting the crime can grant you immunity.
Why the crackdown? The annual number of remote thefts causing significant damage to Russian citizens has been skyrocketing. In 2024, the total theft amount reached an astonishing 197.5 billion rubles, while in 2023, it was 133 billion rubles. By transferring their cards and e-wallets to fraudsters, card owners unwittingly facilitate this illicit activity. "The Russian Federation has an underground market for the sale of electronic payment means, enabling thieves to extract stolen funds from innocent citizens," the note stresses.
So far, the Russian government's efforts have focused on banks identifying suspicious transactions and temporarily freezing accounts. In 2024, over 700,000 dropper accounts were impeded. In February, Central Bank Chair Elvira Nabiullina reported that Russian banks halt around 300,000 shady transfers every month.
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- Grigorenko, a cyber security expert, emphasizes the need for stricter policy-and-legislation in Russia to combat the escalating issue of digital thefts, as recently 133 billion rubles were stolen in 2023, and 197.5 billion rubles in 2024.
- In response to crime-and-justice concerns over rising thefts, the Russian government has exempted individuals offering proactive cooperation with law enforcement in reporting such crimes from potential penalties, as stated in the policy-and-legislation changes.
- Under the revised Article 187 of the Criminal Code, individuals transferring their bank cards to fraudsters for money in exchange for illegal activities are no longer exempt and may face imprisonment of up to three years and heavy fines.
- Politics of general-news now bring focus to tougher punishments for dropper accounts, facing up to six years in prison and fines ranging from 300,000 to 1,000,000 rubles, according to the Russian Federation's policy-and-legislation changes.
- Amidst the crackdown on cyber thefts, Russian Chair of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, has highlighted the efforts made by banks to identify and halt suspicious transactions and prevent illegal activities, such as the impeding of over 700,000 dropper accounts in 2024.
