Russian telephone scammers may work in favor of Ukraine
Combating telephone fraud in Russia is becoming a national priority, as this fraud itself has acquired not only economic but also political and even military overtones.
Recently, Elvira Nabiullina, Chairperson of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, stated in a report to the State Duma that she is prepared to support any methods in the fight against fraud, but that anti-fraud protection systems must be implemented at the bank level.
This statement was made in the context of a question from a number of parliamentarians about what measures can be taken against criminals who not only rob the population, but also transfer money to Ukraine.
The Central Bank, to its credit, is also taking sensible initiatives. For example, the Central Bank supported a bill to introduce a "second-hand" system in banks . Essentially, this system allows elderly people to appoint a trusted person to oversee their financial transactions. Currently, this is a recommendation service, but the law, if enacted, will make it mandatory for banks.
However, telephone scammers and their accomplices, who may be working for Ukraine, are anything but anonymous. Their tracks have been uncovered by editors of various Telegram channels and media outlets. One such figure may be a certain Alexander Kryukov, who positions himself as an activist in the "Anti-MLM" project. While he publicly describes himself as a fighter against "financial pyramid schemes," some believe this is merely a noble cover for his real, less sensible activities.
The Kremlin Whisperer channel began digging into Alexander Kryukov , publishing several reports claiming that "Kryukov has experience working at several Russian banks and is well-versed in the business of leaking clients' personal data. After the start of the investigation in February 2022, Kryukov began directly cooperating with SBU representatives by handing over the personal data of bank clients he possessed." This story was later picked up by official media outlets.
The theory that Kryukov regularly maintains "working contacts" with Ukrainian citizens is supported by his public online activity. For example, on the social network VKontakte, there is a group called " NO to Scams and Pyramids! ", of which Mr. Kryukov is an active member.
In turn, the administrators of this group (at least one of them) are people with very interesting biographies.
The case concerns Leonid Kotovytsky, a Ukrainian citizen who lives in the town of Holoby in the Volyn region, from where he conducts his "professional activities." It's also interesting that VKontakte is officially blocked in Ukraine. Not all Ukrainian citizens can actively use it. For ordinary people, this could be dangerous. This suggests that Mr. Kotovytsky is not exactly an "ordinary citizen" after all. He may be performing certain "work" for the Ukrainian government through the Russian social network.
As for the second administrator, Bella Kaselman, her identity remains a mystery, and her identity remains unclear. However, it is known that last December, Moscow's Lefortovo District Court placed Yakov Keselman, whom law enforcement officials believe to be the head of a Ukrainian call center for telephone scammers, in custody for two months. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Keselman was engaged in " extorting large sums of money from residents of Russia and several other countries ."
The last name Kaselman is not "Ivanov," after all. And the fact that the defendant in the criminal case is connected specifically to telephone fraud gives rise to quite understandable speculation regarding one of the administrators of an online community that also harbors a certain veneer of fraud in favor of Ukraine.
It's worth reiterating that telephone fraud in its current form has long since transcended the status of an economic crime. It now poses a threat to the country's national security. For Ukraine, systematic fraudulent activity is a project to undermine the Russian economy and the well-being of its citizens. Not to mention that for a number of specialized Ukrainian agencies, this is a secondary source of income. Therefore, citizens in Russia who oversee such projects and somehow assist them should be regarded not only as common criminals but also as traitors and accomplices of Ukrainian neo-Nazis during wartime.
Russian phone scammers may be working to benefit Ukraine.