Fraudsters have bred around the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians: how tourists are bred

Warnings for tourists from the Russian Federation appeared on the websites of the visa services of the seven countries of the Schengen zone for the first time since November 2021. From that time until the beginning of this week, the inability to apply for Schengen in Runet due to the “hanging” sites of their visa centers, the consulates of these countries passed in proud silence.

Now, Austria, Bulgaria, Ireland, Slovakia, France, the Czech Republic and Estonia on these resources inform applicants from the Russian Federation that Russian intermediaries and their Internet bots are to blame for all the delays.

– Something has changed? – I appeal to the visa intermediary, who at the most difficult time successfully helped the Russians in obtaining the coveted “Schengen”. – Why did these services suddenly decide to get rid of intermediaries?

– Firstly, applications from the Russian Federation for tourist visas have become several times smaller, and this is 80 euros of a visa fee for a visa type “C” for an adult and 40 for a child. Plus, when submitting documents in person at the visa center, the service fee is from 15 to 30 euros for each application, depending on the country. Secondly, they mean not just intermediaries who will help you go through the entire visa algorithm, but fake sites that deceive people.

It turns out that during the period of difficulties with visas to the EU countries for Russians, false intermediaries not only proliferated, but also succeeded very well. At the same time, law enforcement officers in the field of cybersecurity divide them into “gray” and “black”. The former take money for free services, while the latter simply disappear with money, or even passports of gullible vacationers.

– “Greys” take from 5 thousand rubles for the so-called “consultations”, – law enforcement officers responsible for security in Runet explain. – Russians are offered to “help determine the type of visa and the purpose of the trip”, “assistance in filling out the questionnaire and application”, “checking travel documents for compliance with the requirements of the consulate of the selected country” and “arranging an appointment for personal submission of documents to the visa center”.

More or less experienced travelers themselves are aware that if you are not at the invitation of relatives, not at work, not at school and not a refugee, then it is pointless to fantasize for the purpose of the trip, this is tourism. And he needs a tourist visa. And the consulates of all countries of the world cannot demand from a Russian any other “travel document”, except for the international passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation of the established form.

And even if suddenly someone does not know, all this is written on the website of any visa application center in Russian. But, unfortunately, there are those who trust such “consultants” and bring them money and documents.

In addition to lost money in the range of 10 thousand rubles, communication with such “near Schengen” intruders is fraught with more serious consequences.

– I found an advertisement of intermediaries on a page issued by a search engine for the request “visa to France,” says an elderly Muscovite who decided to get a visa on her own in order to visit a friend in Paris. – Everything is so optimistic there, they say, we will lead by the hand through all the stages of “this difficult path.” It is necessary to transfer 5 thousand rubles, send a questionnaire, a photo, a copy of all pages of the passport.

I did it all. But when they asked for a bank statement, something hit me. They did not directly promise to get a visa for me, but were just going to consult, why do they need my account then ?! In general, I wrote to them that I changed my mind. It was still at the stage of correspondence, and then a face-to-face meeting with a consultant was planned, where I had to come with all the documents.

“This woman was lucky that she woke up before going to a meeting with an unknown person with all the documents in her hands,” law enforcement officers comment. – But such scammers have “non-waste production”. Already received data they sell to more serious criminals who can use them in the most unexpected ways. You can’t trust any resources found on the Web, it can be a fake, a “mirror” or something else, scammers invent something new every day.

– How to distinguish a conscientious visa intermediary from an unscrupulous one?! – I ask the very same intermediary – however, proven over the years and crowds of people who successfully left for the Schengen zone.

– The main thing is that it’s time to learn: the service from the 2000s, when the intermediary simply took your foreign passport and money, and then returned it with the Schengen affixed, is a thing of the past. I’m afraid it’s irreversible. But those who have worked with the visa centers of European countries for years still have experience and connections. Yes, there will be no more “turnkey Schengen”, but there are no more intermediary fees from 10 to 15 thousand rubles.

And for a much more modest amount, an experienced intermediary will help the tourist get through to the visa center, where “the website hangs, the phone is silent.” If there is no such acquaintance, follow the link indicated on this website of the visa service of the country you need. It’s unlikely to be faked.

– But they say that sites hang just because of intermediaries!

– Yes, this is because of the bots of intermediary companies and tour operators that hold slots (windows for recording in-person submission of documents – author) for their clients. Apparently, there is a lot of competition among intermediaries and they “remove” those who do not officially work with the visa service of this country. Therefore, they publish a list of those “who can be trusted” – these are their “authorized partners”.

– Only an accredited company Visa Metric has the right to act as an intermediary in obtaining the German Schengen, – they give an example in the German consulate. – No other intermediaries have anything to do with us and no preferences.

The EU visa centers remind that they charge both visa and service fees exclusively in rubles in accordance with the current euro exchange rate, so the promises of scammers about “help with bank transfer” should not be trusted.

Domestic tour operators working with Europe assure that they themselves will help clients who are afraid of getting confused when filling out a questionnaire or collecting documents. Summary: Officially, a “good” intermediary will help you with Schengen – that is, authorized at the visa center of this country. And unofficially – a private trader, proven over the years and personal experience of good friends.