For services to the darknet – Newspaper Kommersant No. 193 (7394) dated 10/18/2022

In the darknet and Telegram, the popularity of fake IDs of security officials and other documents confirming the presence of military ranks is growing. The sellers promise that their presence will help to avoid mobilization or receive distribution outside the combat zone. The cost of such services can reach 1.5 million rubles. However, these transactions carry many risks, up to criminal liability for the buyer, experts say, and the State Duma has already proposed to oblige employees of the National Guard, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other law enforcement agencies to conscript.

Experts in the field of cybersecurity are observing an increase in sales of fake IDs of employees of law enforcement agencies on the darknet and specialized Telegram channels: the police, the prosecutor’s office, the Investigative Committee, etc. grow in the event of a deterioration in the economic and social situation. “So far, we are talking about documents that, according to buyers, can allow their owner to settle in relatively safe areas in the event of mobilization or even receive a deferment from service,” notes Igor Bederov. Fakes cost from 30 thousand rubles. up to 1.5 million rubles depending on the quality of the document and the need to enter data into official databases, the expert clarifies.

According to Mr. Bederov, the transactions proceed as follows: the client finds a supplier on the darknet or profile channels in Telegram, who has forms and templates for certificates, sends his photo and the necessary data, and the seller prepares a document: “You can even send such an order by courier.”

Kommersant’s interlocutor in the cybersecurity market adds that such proposals appeared in large quantities for the first time, previously there was “almost no demand” for them. The attackers began to speculate on the topic of partial mobilization immediately after it began. Websites have appeared on the net with offers to help in exclusion from the mobilization lists or organize a move abroad (see Kommersant of September 23).

The buyer in such transactions is at great risk, Vladimir Ulyanov, head of the Zecurion analytical center, emphasizes: “Scammers can provide false documents, or they can do nothing, just taking the money.” At the same time, the victim is unlikely to apply to law enforcement agencies, the expert notes, since such services are illegal. “For the acquisition of a fake certificate for the purpose of further use, criminal liability is provided for with the possibility of a real term up to a year,” explains Vladimir Shalaev, partner at Pravovaya Gruppa LLC. Serious risks are borne by the transfer of personal data and real documents to intruders, Mr. Ulyanov adds.

One of Kommersant’s interlocutors in the cybersecurity market believes that such schemes are obviously not only illegal, but also fraudulent, since “it is impossible to forge officer ranks and other documents without, for example, unit commanders.” In addition, in the near future, such schemes may become completely meaningless: on October 17, a group of State Duma deputies led by Sergei Mironov introduced a bill that cancels the reservation from partial mobilization for parliamentarians, and also proposes to oblige employees of the Russian Guard, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and other law enforcement agencies to conscription . On the other hand, the document may increase the number of categories of citizens not subject to mobilization.

Announcements about fake documents for deferment can be created, among other things, by the security forces themselves, including the FSB, the source of Kommersant believes in the database market in order to “catch dodgers.” In a number of regions, including October 17 in Moscow and the Moscow region, the authorities announced about the completion of partial mobilization. However, a part of such statements made earlier by other regions was disavowed, and the stopped process can be resumed at any moment.

Tatyana Isakova