In the last three months, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of offers to purchase fake documents, especially driver’s licenses and military IDs, in Telegram channels and chats. According to a study by FACCT, the number of fake license offers has doubled and military IDs have increased sixfold. Experts have found that at least three criminal groups are actively involved in such schemes.
One of these groups, which started its activities in November 2024, managed to steal 5.4 million rubles by deceiving more than 170 people per month. Criminals earned almost 85 percent of their revenue from selling fake driver’s licenses, 4 percent from fake military IDs, and the remaining 11 percent from blocking devices via iCloud. The average loss from purchasing fake driver’s licenses was 41,487 rubles, and from military tickets – 110,000 rubles.
Fraudsters present fake documents as legal documents, promising to enter data into traffic police and military registration and military service databases. They typically require a 40-50 percent down payment to produce fake products, after which victims provide their data and document scans. They then receive an image of the fake document and must pay the remaining amount, after which the fraudsters disappear. The cost of a fake driver’s license varies from 22,000 to 90,000 rubles, depending on the category. Despite active advertising, the demand for fake military tickets is much lower – during the month a group operated, only two people became victims of this scheme, while 100 people fell victim to the sale of driver’s licenses.
Source: Ferra
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