Proposed criminal accountability for individuals committing littering offenses.
Cracking Down on Dropper Activities: A Fresh Look at Russia's Revamped Law
Get ready for some serious consequences if you're caught being a dropper in Russia! The Russian government has kicked things up a notch, aiming to slam dropper intermediaries with a heaping six years behind bars and a hefty fine of up to 1 million rubles. This tough talk comes courtesy of an amendment to Article 187 of the RF Criminal Code, which deals with unauthorized payment transactions.
But what exactly does being a dropper entail, you ask? It's simple – these individuals obtain cards under the guise of personal use, only to hand them over to fraudsters who proceed to transfer stolen funds from other bank clients' accounts into those cards. In 2024 alone, these sneaky schemes resulted in Russian citizens losing a whopping 27.5 billion rubles (+74% year-on-year)!
While the details of the new sentencing guidelines remain a mystery, it's clear that the Law Commission for Legislative Activity plans to tackle this issue head-on when they consider the amendments on April 28 for submission to the State Duma.
So, why the crackdown, you might wonder? Russia has already got a slew of measures in place to combat fraudsters, with the ultimate goal of creating a robust "multi-level protection system" that keeps citizens safe and makes it harder for fraudsters to pull off their schemes. This draft law on criminal liability for droppers is just the next step in this ongoing battle, according to a representative from Dmitry Grigorenko's apparatus.
And just in case you're thinking about giving into temptation and becoming a dropper, consider this: the proposed law is designed to create major roadblocks for fraudsters looking to deposit their filched funds, and the potential criminal liability could well scare off anyone willing to lend a helping hand.
Since the summer of 2024, banks in Russia have been obligated to check citizens' transfers for fraud and suspend them for two days if the recipient's info matches data in the Central Bank's database. Last year, over 700,000 dropper accounts were blocked as a result, and Russian banks "chill out" about 300,000 suspicious transfers each month.
So, before you become a dropper and risk ending up in the slammer, think twice! Take a moment to appreciate the effort Russia is putting in to combat this growing issue and instead find a more legit way to make some extra cash.
Keep an eye on our Telegram channel @expert_mag for more hot news on government, drops, and fraud!
Enrichment Insights:- The amendments aim to close legal gaps related to dropper activities by explicitly criminalizing the use of certain cybercriminal tools.- Recent enforcement actions have seen Russian and international cooperation, with the sentencing of REvil members and the extradition of Phobos ransomware figure Evgenii Ptitsyn.- The proposed changes align with global patterns of criminalizing malware distribution networks. These trends suggest that Russian cybercriminals are increasingly under scrutiny by Western agencies.
- The Russian amendment to Article 187 of the RF Criminal Code could see dropper intermediaries facing up to six years in prison and fines of up to 1 million rubles for unauthorized payment transactions, a move aimed at tackling dropper activities.
- Fraudsters are known to exploit droppers, who acquire cards under false pretenses and hand them over to these fraudsters, allowing stolen funds to be transferred into those cards, causing significant financial loss for Russian citizens.
- The Law Commission for Legislative Activity plans to address this issue by considering the amendments on April 28 for submission to the State Duma, a step forward in Russia's ongoing battle against fraudsters.
- The new sentencing guidelines for dropper activities will likely create significant obstacles for fraudsters looking to deposit ill-gotten gains, potentially deterring anyone from participating in such activities.
- Russian banks have already been implementing measures to combat fraud, such as checking citizens' transfers for fraud and blocking suspected dropper accounts, with over 700,000 such accounts being blocked since the summer of 2024.
- As part of broader policy-and-legislation, politics, finance, business, general news, and crime-and-justice developments, it's important to stay informed about Russia's efforts to combat dropper activities and other forms of cybercrime.
