The expert named the reasons for the popularity of schemes with illegally issued SIM cards

Today, a phone number has become one of the main identifiers of a person in the digital environment. Through it, users gain access to banking applications, Public Services, messengers and other services, so a SIM card often becomes a tool for conducting fraudulent attacks. The information security expert Kontur told Izvestia about this on August 6.Aegis" by Daniil Borislavsky.

According to the expert, such SIM cards can be used to conduct mass phone calls, send phishing messages, create accounts in messengers, receive confirmation codes and hide the real participants in criminal schemes.

"If the number is issued to a person who does not even suspect its existence, the investigation of such crimes becomes much more difficult," Borislavsky said.

The expert considers increased responsibility for violations when issuing SIM cards to be an important step in the fight against fraud. Such measures increase the risks for participants in illegal schemes and make the use of fake numbers less profitable.

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At the same time, according to him, punishments alone cannot completely solve the problem. The basis of many such crimes remains the leakage of personal data. Attackers most often do not obtain information about a person on their own, but use existing databases, the results of phishing attacks, and social engineering methods. Criminals can also combine information from different sources to obtain enough information to create a number in someone else's name or deceive employees of organizations.

If a person finds a SIM card that they have never issued, this may indicate that their personal data has been compromised. In such a situation, it is necessary to contact the telecom operator and challenge the contract.

In addition, the expert recommends checking important accounts, changing passwords, making sure that two-factor authentication is available, and checking whether there have been any attempts to restore access to banking applications, email, or "Public Services."

According to Borislavsky, the new measures should be considered as part of a comprehensive protection system. The more difficult it becomes for criminals to obtain SIM cards for other people's data, the higher the cost of organizing fraudulent campaigns.

"Any criminal scheme requires a large number of phone numbers: for making phone calls, registering accounts, communicating between participants and receiving confirmation codes. If it becomes more difficult and risky to obtain and use such numbers, the cost of organizing fraudulent campaigns increases," the expert concluded.

The law on Countering Cybercriminals came into force on August 6. For violating a number of requirements when concluding a contract for communication services with a foreign citizen or a stateless person, a fine of up to 500 thousand rubles or imprisonment for up to 1 year is provided. For illegally collecting or distributing information about private life and for violating the secrecy of correspondence and telephone conversations out of self-interest, he will face up to four years in prison.

On July 19, Petr Shcherbachenko, an associate professor at the Financial University, gave recommendations on how to protect against fraudsters in case of an increase in suspicious calls. The expert advised to establish a self-ban on loans and loans, as well as to prohibit real estate transactions without the personal participation of the owner.