Kommersant: scammers use bots to book slots at visa centers
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Registration for filing documents for obtaining Schengen visas has become more complicated due to the actions of scammers who use bots to book all free slots in visa centers. About it writes “Kommersant” with reference to three participants in the tourism market.
The bots repeat the task of finding free slots every minute, which makes it very difficult for you to book yourself, Yulia Otvagina, deputy head of the Continent Express visa and migration department, explained. Vice-President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Dmitry Gorin added that obtaining a visa is also becoming more difficult due to the limited number of slots and increased demand.
According to representatives of the Visahod and Aeroclub companies, the problem with bots is especially relevant for the visa centers of France, Italy and Spain in Moscow.
As Kommersant found out, slots booked by bots are being promoted on specialized travel forums and ad sites. The cost of registration in visa centers ranges from 4,000 to 7,500 rubles. depending on the region, the newspaper clarifies.
At the same time, there are no violations of the law in the actions of the creators of bots, says atLegal partner Alexander Pavlovsky. In a conversation with the newspaper, he noted that responsibility for the creation of bots is not provided. The expert also sees no signs of violation of consumer rights, since “visa recipients do not purchase the service during electronic registration in the queue.”
Against the backdrop of the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, a number of European countries, including the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, have suspended the issuance of Schengen visas to Russians. In addition, from September 12, 2022, the European Union suspended a simplified visa regime with Russia, due to which the fee increased from €35 to €80, and the period for processing applications increased from 15 to 45 days.
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