Where to contact in case of fraud with bank cards

Author: Polovnikova Anna Vyacheslavovna.

Modern payment systems provide fundamentally new, very broad and convenient opportunities for consumers. However, at the same time, they create unique conditions for hunters of other people’s money: card fraud has become one of the most common types of financial crimes today.

Dear citizens! Our specialists will tell you where to go first if you have problems with your bank card. Use the free online legal assistance hotline to get answers to your questions right now:

Hotline phone number:

+7(812) 603-49-78

or File a complaint online

Pros and cons of using the Internet to file a fraud report

Pros:

1. No connection to the working hours of organs.
2. A homely environment that allows you to calmly present the circumstances.
3. An alternative to a personal visit when the latter is not possible (for example, due to illness).
4. Reducing time costs.

Minuses:

1. The need to register or log in, which often causes difficulties.
2. Problems with the Internet portal.
3. Problems with connection.

Reporting fraud to the police: deadlines for consideration

Requirements for the timing of consideration of a criminal case and for the acceptance of any applications are enshrined in Art. Art. 144, 145 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. An allegation of fraud must be reviewed by a police officer within 3 days. At the end of this process, a decision must be made on further activities. If the fact of the offense has been confirmed, a criminal case is initiated. In this case, the applicant must be notified of this in writing.

If a law enforcement officer needs time to gather additional information, the review period may be extended to 30 days. However, the category of cases related to fraud is in most cases initiated within 3 days.

How to report fraud online

Before contacting law enforcement agencies, you should make sure that fraud has been committed against you. Consider the distinctive features of the offense - the intent of the offender, his obtaining benefits and deceptive methods.

Reporting fraud to the police

You can report violations of rights and freedoms online on the State Services portal (www.gosuslugi.ru). Sign in to your account and then:

1. Among .
2. In the new window, click the “Accepting statements of violations” tab.
3. Open the item “Reception of statements, reports of crimes and other information about the incident.”
4. Enter all the required information and click “Submit Application”.

Attention! If you are not registered with State Services, you will first need to create an account.

Important! Messages without indicating the last name, first name and patronymic of the person who wrote them are not processed.

How to file a police report through State Services on the Ministry of Internal Affairs website

1. Follow the link: https://mvd.rf/request_main.
2. Select Ministry of Internal Affairs and Continue.
3. Read the notice, check o and click “Submit Appeal”.
4. Fill out the form.
5. Attach the files, repeat the alphanumeric combination and click “Submit Appeal”.

You can clearly see the sequence of actions at the following link:

To the prosecutor's office

The form for contacting the prosecutor's office is available at the link: https://ipriem.genproc.gov.ru/contacts/ipriem/.

Follow it and then:

• Read the information and click “Agree.”

• Fill the form.

• Attach additional documents and submit.

Specifics of fraud with bank cards

This type of malicious action involves the use of someone else’s means of payment for the misappropriation of funds without the use of violence. The mechanism of appropriation can be different: fraudsters either receive cash or pay for goods and services using someone else’s card.

The case of illegal actions is classified under Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Fraud” in the presence of the following elements of a crime:

• causing material damage (plastic cards are not issued to legal entities, and accordingly, damage can only be caused to an individual);
• the presence of intent to appropriate other people's financial resources (for example: withdrawing money from a found credit card due to the absence of initial malicious intent is not considered fraud).

Responsibility for such a crime is provided for persons over 16 years of age.

Common Schemes

Today, dozens of ways to illegally access funds on a bank card are known, but criminals continue to invent new schemes. You can lose money when using an ATM, shopping in an online store, or accidentally downloading malware onto your computer. The way in which the scammers defrauded the victim of money depends on where to report card fraud in the first place.

Let's look at the main schemes used by criminals against bank account owners.

• “Mirrors” of reputable sites data about the card account by simulating the Internet resource of a trusted company (including a bank). The card owner enters its data, intending to carry out any financial transaction, after which the fraudsters, using the information received, write off the funds.
• Scrimming is the installation of special equipment or a miniature camera on an ATM card reader to read card data; the use of hand-held skimmers in places where card payments are made (in stores, restaurants, etc.) A fake medium is made using a known access code - and the funds end up in the hands of fraudsters.
• Fake online stores are trading platforms with reduced prices and prepayment sales: after receiving a secret ccv code and other data, fraudsters use them for criminal purposes.
• Banking “security check” - notification by phone or email about the need to update personal data with a link to a phishing site.
• “Protection” of funds is usually a telephone call from the “banking security service” about an unauthorized attempt to withdraw money, to suspend which a confirmation code is required (in fact, the code from the owner’s number linked to the card confirms the debiting of the amount).

Procedure for contacting the police

The sequence of actions, as well as the standard form of treatment, are the same regardless of the type of crime. Therefore, for the success of the event, you must follow the instructions.

Try to provide as much information as possible

Describe exactly the circumstances of the crime. If we are talking about a monetary amount, indicate it as accurately as possible. The same applies to the time of the offense. Do not ignore this instruction, otherwise your application will not be accepted.

Control deadlines

Police officers have 3 days to make a decision on the application. During this period, it is better for the victim to come to the department and inquire about how the case is progressing. You can provide additional information.

Phishing and fake (“mirror”) sites

Phishing is the theft of any personal data, the possession of which allows criminals to profit. These are passport series and numbers, bank card and account details, passwords for logging into email, payment systems and social network accounts. Fraudsters use personal information to gain access to accounts to which bank cards are linked, which allows them to steal money from their accounts.

To steal personal data, phishers send mass emails on behalf of government agencies or well-known companies, such as large banks or online stores. Their goal is to force recipients to follow the link provided in the letter to a fake company website, the interface of which is indistinguishable from the real website, and enter their personal data. To attract attention to the letter, the subject line indicates the prospect of great benefit or a problem that requires urgent resolution.

Dummy pages do not last long - usually no more than one week, due to the frequent updating of the database of anti-phishing programs and filters. However, scammers, following a well-established pattern, are creating more and more fake sites to collect personal data.

Thus, spammers actively sent fake notifications around the world about winnings in lotteries dedicated to the European Football Championship, the Olympics in Brazil and the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. To receive money, the recipient of the letter was asked to enter personal information on the website of a non-existent lottery.

This method is possible when the victim uses a “personal account” on the bank’s website. Criminals create a website, the address of which and the appearance of the pages are difficult to distinguish from the official website of the bank. If the victim, when entering the bank’s website, does not use the saved link, but simply types the name of the bank in the search engine, then he is usually offered several options. If the victim accesses the “mirror site”, then the entered data to enter the bank’s personal account (login and password) can be used by attackers and log in to the real website on behalf of the victim into his personal account. It is then possible to transfer money from the victim’s account from his personal account or connect to his account on any subscriber number.

Examples:

Registration of an MTPL policy

— Fraudsters register a domain name that contains the word “osago” in the name or resembles the domain name of one of the well-known insurance companies. This domain hosts a phishing site, the pages of which almost completely copy the design of the original web resource owned by the insurance company. To calculate the cost of insurance, the user needs to fill out a short form - indicate the name, date of birth, driver's license number, car information, phone number and email for contact. After entering the data, the buyer is offered to pay for the electronic MTPL policy using a bank card: indicate the card number, expiration date and CVC/CVV code. Fraudsters redirect the user to a fake payment confirmation page, where they ask to enter the payment confirmation code received from the bank. If successful, the attackers bypass two-factor authentication and receive money. A similar deception scheme can be found when purchasing air tickets online.

— Residents of Russia received letters disguised as notifications from the Federal Tax Service and the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, with approximately the following content: “Dear taxpayer! You have a debt. The debt repayment period is until December 23, 2016. You can find out more by clicking on the link...” or “Pension savings have been recalculated. Be sure to check out the link...” After going to the fake website of a government agency, the user was asked to enter his personal information to obtain more detailed information.

ATTENTION: The main sign that the client has visited the bank’s “mirror” website is that after entering the login and password, an inscription about site maintenance or any information appears on the page, indicating that he can access the site later . At the same time, the phone does not receive an SMS message from the bank about entering your personal account, if such a form of notification is provided. Advice to citizens: if the events described above occur, immediately contact the bank via the hotline and block the account. You can unlock it by changing your password by visiting a bank branch in person with your passport and card.

What to do if they refuse to initiate a case?

The most common reason for refusal to accept a police report about fraud is that the applicant cannot prove the amount of damage caused. If a law enforcement officer does not accept a statement, it is important to remember that:

• Any action of a government representative can be appealed to higher authorities;
• A complaint against the actions of a police officer must be accepted in any case;
• At the time of refusal, Art. Art. should be appealed. 144, 145 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (the procedure for considering reports of a crime and the list of decisions made on them).

What is fraud

The Criminal Code defines fraud as the taking of property or rights to it through deception or abuse of trust.

Today, separate punishments for this crime exist in the spheres of banking, business and insurance activities.

In addition, certain articles of the Criminal Code provide for liability for fraud in the field of social benefits and computer technology.

From life, there are enough examples of abuse of trust. For example, an acquaintance borrowed money and does not pay it back.

There are many ways to scam people over the phone and on the Internet. Let’s say a person paid money for a product in an online store, but it didn’t arrive. Many elderly people are robbed of their money by swindlers under the guise of social service workers.

Liability for fraudulent actions is aggravated by the amount of damage, as well as the number of persons involved in the crime.

For example, for deception committed by a group, a completely different punishment is provided. In addition, minor (within 1000 rubles) fraud may result in administrative liability.

We recommend! How to appeal a refusal to initiate a criminal case for fraud + example of a complaint against a decision to refuse to initiate a criminal case under Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation