Russia Launches Comprehensive Cybercrime Database to Combat Digital Fraud

Russia has established a comprehensive database of «digital footprints» belonging to cybercriminals, aimed at aiding law enforcement in identifying and dismantling fraudulent networks, according to the newly appointed Prosecutor General, Alexander Gutsan, on Tuesday.

This new system includes information on over 6 million phone numbers, bank accounts, and websites associated with cybercrime, Gutsan stated during a gathering of former Soviet Union prosecutors in Tajikistan.

«The database enables us to identify repeat offenders, shut down scam call centers, freeze illicit assets, and often prevent crimes from occurring in the first place,» Gutsan noted.

He presented these initiatives as part of a broader effort to combat cybercrime and anonymity. Recently, Russia has made it illegal to sell or transfer mobile phone numbers, imposed restrictions on virtual private networks (VPNs), and enhanced regulations on online transactions and digital currencies.

Gutsan estimated that cybercrime now represents 40% of all reported criminal activities in Russia, resulting in losses totaling «hundreds of billions of rubles,» with one-quarter of these losses affecting individual citizens.

He cautioned that criminals face “no ethical constraints” when it comes to utilizing social engineering, encrypted messaging, and international financial tools to exploit their victims.

The cybercrime-tracking database was developed in collaboration with law enforcement, the Central Bank, and Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing agency.

This initiative follows the government’s proposal earlier this summer to create a national anti-fraud system that would automatically gather and block suspicious phone numbers, messages, and online accounts implicated in scams.

This plan is part of a larger legislative effort aimed at imposing restrictions on SIM cards and bank cards to combat financial fraud.