"40 statements daily": the number of IT crimes has decreased, as has the age of the victims.

      Fraudsters involve foreign students in drop shipping in Tatarstan

      The number of IT crimes has decreased by 43 percent compared to last year

      Every second crime in the country and the republic today is committed using the internet or telephone communication. However, in Tatarstan, there has been a steady decline in this type of crime for a year now. Experts discussed how law enforcement uncovers the logistical chains of criminals, who falls victim to courier fraudsters, and why a grandmother in Yudino had to rent an apartment for the equipment of scammers at today’s press conference at "Tatar-inform." "As of the end of 7 months this year, 9,500 IT crimes have been registered in the republic. This is 43 percent less than in the same period last year. The structure of crimes is as follows: slightly more than 5,000 frauds, about 1,500 thefts, and 751 instances of unauthorized access to computer information have also been recorded. The detection rate is 24.8 percent," said Almaz Fattakhov, prosecutor of the department overseeing investigations in the internal affairs bodies of the Prosecutor's Office of RT. Despite the decline in the overall number of crimes, the damage caused by criminals remains colossal. As an example, the prosecutor cited a criminal case against a group of 10 residents of the republic who acted as couriers. It is under investigation by the Main Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of RT. "Criminal cases have been initiated for large-scale fraud. According to the investigation, they are responsible for at least seven proven episodes of criminal activity, with total damage exceeding 15 million rubles," Fattakhov added. The accused face up to 10 years in prison. In addition, as part of civil claims, the court may oblige the couriers to fully compensate for the damage caused. Since the beginning of the year, 106 courier fraudsters have been detained in Tatarstan.

      "Almost half of those detained are young people under 30"

      Raile Kuryakov, head of the Cybercrime Department (UCB) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of RT, expanded on the topic, outlining the operational situation and the social portrait of both victims and criminals. According to him, the trend towards decline began in the summer of 2025. This year, over seven months, there have been 6,000 fewer crimes than the previous year. When comparing with 2024, the decline is even more noticeable – by 10,000 cases. "Nevertheless, the situation remains tense. On average, about 40 reports of IT crimes are received daily by territorial internal affairs bodies in the republic. The profile of the victim has also changed. Previously, the elderly were most often deceived, but now the age criterion has leveled out. Everyone is deceived approximately equally, but with a slight bias towards women – they make up 58 percent of the victims," Kuryakov reported. Among the detainees, young people prevail – almost every second one is under 30 years old. Typically, these are people without a stable source of income, often students. "The classic method of fraud today is telephone fraud. It should be noted that telephone fraud is not the only cyber threat; however, this method, like 10 years ago, leaves some high-tech tools far behind. This is explained, on the one hand, by the simplicity of organizing the fraud scheme, and on the other – by the gullibility of citizens. The security of banking products from financial institutions is increasing, meaning various anti-fraud systems are indeed helping, and, accordingly, it is easier for a fraudster to organize a fraud scheme using such a classic method as telephone fraud," said the head of the UCB of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of RT.

      After being deceived, a pensioner began working for the fraudsters

      Targeted operations to seize SIM boxes deal a significant blow to the infrastructure of fraudsters. These devices convert internet connections into GSM communication and can simultaneously manage a large number of SIM cards. Since the beginning of the year, more than 50 SIM boxes and over 5,000 SIM cards have been seized in Tatarstan. In this regard, the republic is among the leaders in Russia. "Just one such SIM box could make up to 5,000 calls a day. It’s not hard to calculate how many calls could be made in a week or a month," noted Raile Kuryakov. He reported that in February, an 18-year-old resident of the Ivanovo region was detained in Zelenodolsk. He rented an apartment, installed a SIM box there, and serviced it under the direction of a curator. For this, he was promised about 40,000 rubles a week. He did not manage to receive the money as he was detained. However, a more alarming trend is the involvement of elderly people in criminal schemes. They are not just deceived but pushed into committing illegal acts, often unknowingly. "One such case occurred in the Kazan settlement of Yudino. A pensioner was detained there, who, after repeatedly becoming a victim of fraud, ultimately switched sides to the fraudsters. Being an active internet user, the woman repeatedly fell for tricks. After the last incident, she continued to communicate with those who deceived her. For the supposed return of her money and to earn profit, she was offered a job installing and servicing a SIM box. For this, they promised to pay her daily from 7,000 rubles," Kuryakov said. The pensioner agreed, received a package with the device and SIM cards from a logistics company, and then placed them in a specially rented apartment. She went there every day, where she was eventually detained. During the search, more than a thousand SIM cards were seized from her. "Another case occurred last week in Kazan as well. A 70-year-old resident of the Soviet district, under pressure from blackmailers, became a courier for the fraudsters herself. They found out her personal data and began to blackmail her. Ultimately, they convinced her to comply with their demands – to travel to addresses and collect cash from deceived pensioners. To maintain secrecy, under the curator's instructions, she occasionally did not spend the night at home, staying in a hostel," clarified the head of the UCB of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of RT. In a short period, the woman managed to collect money from four victims in Kazan and Naberezhnye Chelny. The oldest of the deceived was 83 years old, and the total damage amounted to 4.5 million rubles.

      How to protect yourself from fraudsters

      At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has established a system for rescuing people under the influence of fraudsters, literally in real-time. "Since the end of 2025 to the present, employees of our department alone have saved over 60 million rubles that deceived citizens intended to give to fraudsters. Fraud against more than a hundred citizens has been prevented," Kuryakov reported. Police officers go to those whom criminals are trying to deceive and stop them at ATMs. A separate problem faced by law enforcement agencies is the increase in the involvement of foreign citizens in drop shipping. Most often, fraudsters recruit students from neighboring countries. "People, for money, sometimes out of ignorance, sold their bank cards. In response, the Ministry of Internal Affairs developed leaflets translated into several foreign languages. Additionally, together with GTRK "Tatarstan," two documentary films – "Access Code" and "Block on Life," aimed at teenagers, have been produced," explained the spokesperson. He reminded that criminal liability is provided for the acquisition, sale, or transfer of one’s or someone else's bank card for illegal operations. However, many young people, as practice with detainees shows, are still unaware of this.

      Summarizing, Raile Kuryakov gave several practical tips on how to protect against fraud. The first thing to do if you become a victim is to contact your bank or the recipient's bank, and then immediately file a report with the police. Delaying is critical here, as the Ministry of Internal Affairs is connected to the information exchange system among financial market participants, and with timely reporting, there is a chance to quickly identify the recipient and even freeze the funds. To protect loved ones, a self-ban on loans should be established. This can be done through "Gosuslugi" or MFC. The ban can be complete or partial. A ban can also be established on entering into contracts with communication operators. This will prevent fraudsters from registering a SIM card in your name. The service is available from the age of 14 with a verified account. The ban is lifted within one day after a personal visit to the MFC. Online, you can activate a safe mode in messengers to block calls from unknown numbers. Kuryakov noted that one should not click on suspicious links from advertising mailings and messages about giveaways, as this poses a risk of launching malware and giving fraudsters full access to the phone.

      Photo: © Sultan Iskhakov / "Tatar-inform"