Anti-fraud department: how and with what questions to contact

Where to file a fraud report to the police or prosecutor's office

Fraudsters do not act with brute force, they inspire trust and force you to transfer money or property in the future. Often the victim does not even realize that he has been deceived, but this does not cease to be a crime.

In Russia there are several bodies that provide protection to citizens:

police;
prosecutor's office;
court.

It is important to contact the authorities immediately after fraud is discovered. Otherwise, the attackers may have time to destroy the evidence and cover their tracks, and then it will be almost impossible to prove the crime. Many people do not know where to report fraud, because there are several such authorities. We'll look into this further.

Where to file a fraud report for an individual

If the fraudster is another citizen, you need to bring a statement to the nearest police department. After receiving the application, law enforcement officers will check it and, if there are sufficient grounds, open an administrative or criminal case.

The citizen’s application must be accepted, even if the fraud occurred on the Internet. In case of fraud committed on the Internet, the appeal should be addressed to the separate department “K”, which is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. It is allowed to send a message:

personally to the nearest police station;
through a website officially connected to the Ministry of Internal Affairs database.

Personal submission will be preferable, since the application will be entered into the journal and provided with a coupon indicating the internal number of the application.

Where to file a complaint about legal entity fraud

In case of deception by a fraudulent company, the police are not contacted. Instead, several steps are involved:

Submit a claim for the return of money or property addressed to the head of the legal entity.
If the request is refused or ignored, legal action should be filed. It must be accompanied by a number of documents proving the fact of dishonest activity.
It would be effective to send an application to the prosecutor's office with a request to verify the legality of the actions of the legal entity.

How to properly file a fraud report

There is no standardized sample application for dishonest taking of money or property. It differs depending on the circumstances of the crime.

The text of the document varies depending on the body to which it is sent; we will consider all the nuances of the application.

Statement to the police in case of deception by an individual

As mentioned above, you should go to the fraud department if there is fraud from another person who dishonestly received the property of the applicant. The report of illegal actions indicates:

basic information about the head and the name of the department receiving the appeal;
full address of the police department;
personal information of the applicant, his location, contact details for response;
nuances of the offense committed;
confirmation of the guilt of the indicated persons;
please look into it and bring it to justice;
date of submission of paper and signature of the author.

It is important to talk about the circumstances of the crime that cause the most difficulties. The main information is about when and how the citizen was deceived, what amount is involved, if any, information about the suspects is provided. As much information as possible should be provided so that the police can evaluate the complaint as objectively as possible.

How to report fraud to the police

According to the procedural laws of the Russian Federation, you can file a fraud claim in different ways:

When applying in person to the duty station, to the prosecutor or to the court;
By registered mail with notification. The Receipt Notice is used to track the timing of law enforcement's response to your request;
Submit a statement of fraud through the district police officer in whose territory of control the crime was committed;
Call the police to the scene of the incident (for example, to the office) and write and submit a statement in their presence.

Please note that if testimony (interviews) of witnesses is required to confirm the commission of a crime, then you can file a fraud report only by calling the police.

Application to court in case of deception by a legal entity

When the deceiver is a legal entity, you should try to resolve the issue voluntarily. To do this, a claim is submitted to the head of the company, indicating the circumstances of the fraud and the requirement to solve the problem.

Also read: What are financial frauds, main types

If there is no effect, you should formulate a claim, which is filed with the court attached to your place of residence; the state fee is not transferred. The delivery location must be selected depending on the severity of the damage:

Up to 50,000 rubles - the appeal is sent to the magistrate.
Starting from damage of 50 thousand rubles, the filing is made in a district court.

The rules for filing a claim are specified in Article 131 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation; information about:

name of the court;
plaintiff;
the defendant;
the price of the filed claim (the amount of damage caused);
nuances of the case indicating regulations;
claims (to transfer back the taken property or money);
list of available evidence.

Among the evidence you can use correspondence with the company, checks and receipts, property transfer deeds. The decision to start proceedings is made 10 days in advance, and the date of the next meeting will be announced in the official agenda.

Features of filing a fraud claim in court

Please note that you can obtain a sample statement of fraud to the court only from a judicial consultation or from an active lawyer or advocate. All sample statements posted on the Internet are of a general nature and are difficult to adapt to each individual case of fraud. Never download or buy such samples.

You can file an application for fraud, immediately attaching all documents and evidence of the crime and the guilt of the accused, to the court:

When applying in person through the court office;
By registered mail with notification;
Through a personal representative.

You can apply for protection of civil rights to a district or city court in case of fraud only if the following conditions are met:

The plaintiff is able to independently prove and present all documentary evidence in court. Place special emphasis on confirming fraudulent actions, deceptive manipulations and the guilt of the person you accuse;
The location and name of the suspect are known;
The plaintiff can confirm that he suffered property and financial losses, and also lost rights to real estate, business, etc.
There is evidence of the criminal's malicious intent;
The plaintiff may attach to the application documentary evidence of the crime and substantiation of the guilt of the person accused by him.

In addition, the court will not accept the application if you have not made an attempt to resolve the conflict pre-trial. To do this you need:

Write a written claim to the attacker in two copies demanding compensation for damage or return of stolen property and money;
Give it personally to him, and make him write a note of receipt on the second copy.
Or replace the first two points by sending the claim by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt

This notice can be used in court as confirmation of an attempt to peacefully resolve the conflict.

Application to the prosecutor's office in case of deception by a legal entity

The prosecutor's office should be contacted when a major fraud has been committed, if it is necessary to further draw attention to illegal activities. In a statement to the prosecutor's office they write:

information about the department where the application is received;
personal and contact information belonging to the applicant;
circumstances of the fraud;
please check the company;
list of papers attached to the document;
date and signature.

The appeal is submitted to the prosecutor's office unit assigned to the place of registration. In addition to personal submission, you can send an application by registered mail or do it through the website; in any case, it will be considered within 30 days.

How to file a fraud report with the prosecutor's office

At the moment, the prosecutor's office does not accept reports of crimes, redirecting citizens directly to the police. Therefore, it is possible to involve her in a criminal case only if the following conditions are met:

There is evidence of the presence of a crime, but it has not yet been established and not recorded anywhere;
Confirmation of loss of material assets;
List of specific suspects;
The need to conduct a prosecutorial audit of fraudulent companies or the activities of individuals.

Thus, if you know the persons who fraudulently defrauded you of your money and other valuables, and you also have a package of evidence, then you have the right to file a fraud complaint directly with the prosecutor’s office, bypassing the police department. After the inspection, an employee of the city prosecutor's office will refer the case to the court to bring the perpetrators to criminal punishment. This is possible thanks to the dual function of the prosecutor’s office in contacting the law enforcement and judicial systems of the Russian Federation.

If the police refused to accept a statement of fraud without giving a reason, or the police did not act, then you also have the right to file both a statement of crime and a complaint against the police to the prosecutor's office.

What to do if you become a victim of scammers

If a person understands that he has become a victim of fraud, he should not try to deal with the scammers on his own. Such actions may fall under articles of the Criminal or Administrative Codes and harm the victim herself. To punish fraudsters, it is necessary to contact law enforcement agencies as soon as possible.

Fraudsters operate according to different schemes and a single mechanism of action in the fight against them cannot be determined. However, if fraud is suspected, the victim is obliged to protect himself and collect as much evidence of fraud as possible:

Note!
You cannot get rid of documents, checks, bank statements that have been received.
All negotiations with scammers must be recorded and correspondence saved. If communication with crooks does not involve documentary evidence, it is necessary to attract witnesses.
It is necessary to require from fraudsters documentation about the company, company, organization on behalf of the person they are acting on.

This data will serve as evidence and will help to recover the stolen amount from the scammers in court, as well as receive compensation for moral damage caused. If the fraud involves the transfer of personal data - bank accounts, cards, transfer of funds - you need to contact the bank as soon as possible to change passwords and increase protection.

Fraud is easier to prevent than to detect and prove. Therefore, it is important to be alert:

do not trust unverified people and companies;
collect maximum information about new business partners in open sources;
demand documents confirming the authority of strangers introducing themselves as employees of the organization;
all transfers of money must be documented;
You cannot transfer personal data, information about passwords, codes, account numbers to third parties.

To prove the fact of fraud, the presence of stolen funds or property is not enough; it is important to identify the deliberate desire of one of the parties to deceive the other. If the scammers, through an invented promotion and further benefit for the client, took a certain amount from him and did not return it, the actions will be considered fraudulent if it is proven that the scammers did not initially intend to return the money taken.

In legislation, fraud is divided according to the severity of the crime, the presence of aggravating circumstances and types. Proven fraud may fall under both the Administrative and Criminal Codes. When causing damage in the amount of:

up to 1000 rubles - faces forced community service for up to 50 hours or administrative arrest for up to 15 days, as well as a fine of five times the amount of damage, but not less than 1 thousand rubles;
up to 2,500 rubles - a fine of at least 3 thousand rubles, arrest from 10 to 15 days, or work up to 120 hours.

If the funds were not stolen, but material damage was caused to the victim’s property, then these actions fall under Article 7.27.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which requires a fine of at least five thousand rubles.

If fraudsters have taken possession of property worth more than 2,500 rubles, their actions fall under Articles 159-159.6 of the Criminal Code, according to which fraud is theft or acquisition of the right to own property by deception or abuse of trust. Damage fraud:

especially large – more than 20 million
large – more than 3 million;
significant - more than 10 thousand;

Depending on the amount of damage, fraud is punished:

imprisonment for up to 2 years;
restriction of freedom for up to 2 years or arrest for up to 4 months;
compulsory labor, correctional labor, or forced labor;
a fine of up to 120 thousand rubles or up to the annual income of the attacker.

Also, punishment and types of fraud in the Criminal Code are divided according to the status of the offenders:

a group of persons;
using professional authority;
in the business sphere - deliberate failure to fulfill obligations under the contract.

The maximum punishment for such crimes is up to 10 years or a fine of up to 1 million rubles.

For an individual who has committed fraud in these areas of lending, insurance and others, the fine can be up to 120 thousand rubles, and if the crime is committed by conspiracy among a group of people and the damage exceeds 6 million, they face up to 10 years in prison.

What documents should I attach to a fraud report?

For a fraudulent claim to be effective, it must be accompanied by as much evidence as possible, including:

copies of documents of deceivers;
information for feedback;
payment documents;
printouts of correspondence or telephone conversations;
information about witnesses.

Electronic documentation previously printed is certified by a notary. If the interests of the victim are represented by a third party, he will need a power of attorney.

Pros and cons of using the Internet to file a fraud report

Pros:

No connection to the working hours of organs.
A homely environment that allows you to calmly present the circumstances.
An alternative to a personal visit when the latter is not possible (for example, due to illness).
Reducing time costs.

Also read: Where to turn if you’ve been scammed by scammers on the Internet

Minuses:

The need to register or log in, which often causes difficulties.
Problems with the Internet portal.
Problems with connection.

Forms and types of fraud carried out via the Internet

In addition, where to go to report online fraud, it would be useful to know what types of fraud are most common.

This may be an offer to participate in projects of various types. You should be wary if a down payment is required to become a member.
No less common is the hacking/blocking of accounts on social networks, which are in high demand. The essence of the crime is that in order to access their account, the victim is required to pay a certain fee. Despite the fact that no one gives any guarantees, the cost of this “service” is very high.
There are professional programmers who create virus programs that block the operation of a computer's operating system. To remove the ban, the user is asked to send a text message, for which a tidy sum is deducted from the account.
You should not respond to calls to transfer funds for expensive treatment or charitable accounts if this is the first time you have heard about a person or organization. It is worth noting that not all such calls qualify as fraud; each situation is considered individually.

Fraud on online trading platforms is considered a common occurrence. This could be an advance payment, after which the buyer never receives the goods, transactions with credit cards, participation in employment competitions for a certain fee. Sending emails containing information about blocking access to bank cards/electronic wallets is considered fraud. This also includes education and the functioning of financial pyramids.

The answer to the main question - who to turn to for help

How to combat fraud on the Internet and where to turn is a topic that interests many. So, if you fall for the trick of attackers, then you can restore the violated rights only if you contact law enforcement agencies. Whether you know your abuser or not has absolutely no effect on the course of the investigation and its outcome.

When cases of fraud on the Internet were first discovered and they began to become more frequent, law enforcement officers developed special investigative techniques to combat online criminals. You cannot leave such crimes unpunished, even if you suffered minor damage. There is a high probability that you will contribute to the investigation, and the culprits will be found faster, because your appeal will not be the only one.

If you don’t quite understand where to go in case of fraud on the Internet, then remember: the Ministry of Internal Affairs has a specially created department whose activities are aimed at combating fraudsters operating through the World Wide Web. We are talking about a structure dealing with matters related to computer information. The letter “K” was assigned as the name of the department. You can file a report about a crime committed against you directly to the “K” department located in the department in your place of residence. You can simply contact the duty station, but then you will have to wait until the application is transferred to a specialized department.

How does a victim submit a statement?

If you contact the police officer on duty, you must provide as much information as possible about the crime committed against you. If you suspect someone, you should not remain silent about it. Information about the site on which you were subjected to fraudulent fraud is valuable, as well as:

nickname of the person in correspondence with the attacker;
details of the bank card, electronic wallet to which the transfer was made or from which the funds were stolen;
the offender's email address;
mobile phone number where confidential data was sent.

If desired, citizens can apply anonymously; there is also a hotline number where you can contact them orally. But! in this case, the situation will be considered with less interest, because the appeal does not contain maximum information. Remember that anonymous letters are not grounds for initiating a criminal case.

If you are unable to visit the police station in person, you can submit an application electronically. To do this, go to the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and fill out a special form located in the “Reception of Applications” section. The addressee should be the “K” control marked “for quick response”.

Where else can a victim of fraud turn?

The police are not the only authority where they can help punish a criminal. Many people are interested in how to file a complaint with the magistrate against Internet scammers. Is it even possible to do this? The answer to the question is yes, but it is better to enlist the support of a lawyer who knows all the legal norms that determine the mandatory details of the statement of claim. You must clearly understand that if you submit an incorrectly drafted or unfounded application, it simply will not be considered.

What else is important?

It is imperative to collect a package of documents that can determine the formation of a fraudulent factor.
Typically, the procedure for the victim should be as follows: immediately after carrying out fraudulent schemes against himself, he should contact the local police officer, during the same period of time a statement is written to the prosecutor’s office, after which he must wait until the investigation reaches its logical conclusion. As soon as this happens, all materials on the case are transferred to the court.

Also read: What kind of fraudulent actions are qualified under Article 159, Parts 6 and 7 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation

If you previously didn’t know how to sue an online store for fraud, now you know that you have every right to do so. The statement can indicate specific requirements presented to the offender. By enlisting the support of a professional lawyer, you can move forward with your case and achieve justice.

It should be noted that where you can turn for help depends on the circumstances of the incident. For example, if one of the popular electronic payment systems was used, you can contact the service user support service for help by writing a letter. The result of the appeal is the blocking of the electronic wallet of the one who acts dishonestly with others.

You should not count on the site administration to provide you with personal user data. But! If an official request comes from a law enforcement representative, it may be possible to obtain passport information about the citizen, which will simplify his search.

It won’t hurt anyone to know that there are special services on the Internet whose activities are aimed at blocking “harmful” sites. Complaints are also considered by the Roskomnadzor structure. Whatever the situation you find yourself in, in any case you need to contact a lawyer; he will make the most of existing opportunities to achieve a positive result.

"Petrovka, 38"

Police Major Elnur Damirov heads the 4th ORCH of the Internal Affairs Directorate for the Closed Administrative District of Moscow. This unit has two priority areas of activity: solving burglaries and fraud related to the misappropriation of private property. In a conversation with our correspondent, the officer spoke about the specifics of his work, the tricks that burglars resort to, as well as funny cases from his practice.

— What are the features of searching for burglars? “In my opinion, searching for burglars is a difficult task. Although burglary and fraud are not as serious and dangerous crimes as robbery. Employees searching for robbers, as a rule, come to the aid of witnesses to crimes who can describe the attacker and the circumstances of the incident. It is extremely rare that a portrait of an alleged thief comes into our possession. In addition, after catching an attacker, it is very difficult to prove his guilt, because they get rid of the main evidence - stolen property - very quickly. — What is the search work? — I can only tell you in general terms, due to the specific specifics of our activities. Here, for example, is one of the latest criminal cases solved by our unit. One day in the summer, three burglaries were committed. In all cases, the door was opened in the same way - the lock cylinder was completely cut out of the door. Based on this feature, it was assumed that all three crimes were committed by the same people. Next, a lot of work was done with operational sources, as a result of which we got on the trail of this group. However, there was nothing to detain them for - there was no evidence base. Therefore, they decided to put the gang members under surveillance and wait for them to go to work again. The wait could be prolonged, since the leader could travel around the city for a whole week, choosing a suitable apartment. After making a choice, together with the rest of his accomplices, he came to the place again, putting the selected object to a vote. For some reason, the criminals could not decide on a new location for the theft for almost two months. During this time, we learned that they were all natives of the Republic of Georgia. Each had a “track record” that included crimes such as rape, drug trafficking, robbery, and one of them was even wanted in his home country for suspicion of committing murder. During the development process, we also learned that the bandits were armed. One night the leader was inspecting another house, and a few hours earlier he had already arrived at this address. This gave me hope: maybe the thieves would show themselves. We set up an ambush nearby. The leader hung around the house for a while and left. We thought that nothing would happen again, but still decided to wait another hour. And for good reason. Soon the whole gang arrived. The criminals probably did nothing for three hours. Finally one of them went into the entrance. The others waited for him on the street for about an hour and a half, then went after his accomplice. We understand: it has begun. They took the criminals harshly, thanks to which their attempt to resist was unsuccessful. Later, during a personal search, they were found to have a hunting rifle, cartridges with shot, and an RGD grenade. Subsequently, using the fingerprints of the detainees, their involvement in seven thefts committed in Moscow was established. — How is a typical working day like for you? — Most of the time is spent exchanging information, communicating with colleagues, victims, and witnesses. This is the main thing in our work. As you may have noticed, during our conversation my phone practically never stops talking. You'll talk so much all day! And in the evening, in your office, you write down all the information received on sheets of paper, lay it out on the table in front of you and begin to analyze and systematize it. Then you understand what information is not needed, what information needs to be put aside for a while. You collect all the data into an overall picture, like a puzzle. — What qualities should an employee have in order for his work to be successful in your department? — The most important thing is patience. It sometimes takes months to develop individual criminals. Of course, during this time the detective is involved in more than one criminal case, and simultaneously solves others. Resourcefulness and ingenuity are also very important for an employee. Because, as I already said, proving the guilt of criminals is a very difficult task. There is something to puzzle over. Before hiring an employee to our department, I interview him. During communication with a candidate, it is immediately clear what he is like and whether he has the qualities necessary to work in our department. We have two departments in the ORCh: the employees of the first are primarily involved in solving thefts, the second - fraud, and each has its own specifics of work. Some employees are more suitable for serving in the first group, others - in the second. Those who solve thefts are “runners”; one might say, their legs feed them. These guys work more on the ground, interview citizens, and often have to talk with convicted persons and criminals. In general, their job is to obtain information and implement it. And those who specialize in detecting fraud work more with documents. A statement is received from a citizen who has become a victim of swindlers, and they solve the case, practically without leaving their offices. To do this, they receive information from all authorities, collect documents, and conduct various examinations, in particular handwriting examinations. Let's just say that the activities of these employees are closer to the work of an investigator. — Do employees of the second department also take part in arrests? — The division into categories of crimes in our department is conditional. In fact, they have common responsibilities. And if necessary, one can replace the other. Employees of the second department are always ready to support colleagues in organizing surveillance, ambush and detention, if required. It happens that one of our employees has important information and the participation of the entire department is necessary to implement it. — It probably goes without saying that an investigator should be courageous and decisive by nature? — Yes, attention is paid to these qualities even before an employee is hired into the department. I think a person who is going to work in the criminal investigation department understands where he is going. And, as a rule, if he is not mentally prepared for such service, then he will not choose it for himself. — The work of an investigator involves a risk to life; employees have an irregular schedule. Why, despite all the difficulties of your profession, did you choose this particular service? — Working on the wanted list is a way of life. Representatives of many professions leave their offices at exactly 6 pm and forget about work until the next day. It’s as if a new life begins for them. With us, work becomes your life. It’s addictive, you give it all your strength, you think not about time, but about the result. I'm used to communicating with my colleagues. We have common concerns, values, complete mutual understanding. You could say everything is on point. — What do you like most about your work? — The feeling you experience after a successful operation is difficult to convey. You spend several months developing a theft case, start from scratch, with an inspection of the crime scene, and, at first glance, having no clues, you manage to get on the trail of the criminals. You do a lot of work, you spend a long time monitoring the suspects, and finally, the decisive moment is arrest! When you achieve success, you feel both elation and pride at the same time. But you don’t stay in this state of elation for long; it lasts for a day at most. Then new worries and things appear. — Why did you choose to work in law enforcement? “It probably had a lot to do with the fact that my father is a military man.” Since childhood, I have liked uniforms, I’m used to discipline, so I chose a profession somewhat similar to my father’s. To get a job in the police, I left the Moscow Aviation Institute in my youth. I realized that higher mathematics and physics are not for me. He entered the Higher Police School at the Faculty of Criminal Police, and upon graduation got a job in the wanted list. — How many years have you worked in the internal affairs bodies? — Taking into account studies — 15 years. After graduating from police school in 1999, he got a job at the Mozhaisky district police department as an investigator. — How did your career develop in the future? — After 4 years, I was transferred to the criminal police service of the district police department to the position of senior detective. A year later, I was appointed head of the department for combating residential burglaries. And a year later I became the head of the ORCh. - Due to your duty, you are probably more aware than anyone else of how those with whom you are fighting - apartment thieves - act, about the tricks they resort to. How do criminals usually find out which apartment has something to profit from? - There are two main categories of thieves: professionals and those who commit crimes spontaneously - drug addicts, drunkards. Representatives of the second category prefer not to bother with the lock, but simply knock down the front door. Therefore, they choose an apartment not on the principle that rich owners live in it, but look, first of all, for a weakly reinforced door, preferably a wooden one. Professional thieves choose an apartment based on a number of external features - the prestige of the area, the cost of the front door, windows. They pay attention to the presence of air conditioning, a parabolic antenna, and see if the balcony is glazed. Thus, having chosen several apartments, thieves will prefer the one whose owners are outside the city; the ideal option is at a resort. To identify such an apartment, thieves leave beacons near the front door. You can use any item for this. For example, they attach a match to a door frame or leave a noticeable candy wrapper on the rug. If the beacon remains in place several days later, thieves begin to act. —Who do thieves most often use as spotters? — There are a lot of options. Anyone can become a gunner, even unknowingly. For example, you visited a luxuriously furnished apartment, and then in another company you will begin to admire what you saw, and someone may take note of this information. Often a person himself provokes thieves when he boasts to friends that he is going to a resort with his family. People should not be exposed to this unless necessary, especially neighbors. It is advisable that no one knows at what hours your apartment is empty, that, for example, every weekend you go to the country. This information can reach criminals. — How much time does a thief usually spend on opening a door and robbing an apartment? — A lot depends on the castle. One door can be opened in 10 seconds, while another can take 20 minutes. Thieves may stay in an apartment for different periods of time depending on the situation. If criminals are working on a tip, they know that there is no alarm in the apartment, and they are sure that the owners are outside the city, then they may not rush. There were cases when thieves, having entered an apartment, carefully set the table from food and alcoholic beverages found in the refrigerator, and rested in someone else's house all night. — What property in the apartment do thieves primarily target? — About 10-15 years ago, large equipment was taken out: televisions, refrigerators. Today, thieves are only interested in money, jewelry, and watches. In a word, valuables that can be put into your pockets so that you can leave the apartment light. When the thief leaves, the luggage in his hands may arouse unnecessary suspicion among passers-by. Perhaps fur coats are still of interest to criminals. — It is believed that professional thieves respect the Criminal Code, trying not to violate other articles. If the owner returns to the apartment during the theft, is there a high probability that the thief will attack? - It depends on the audacity of the thief. But most likely, the criminal will first try to push the person away and run out of the apartment. And if the owner does not detain him, he will remain unharmed. — What, in your opinion, are the most sophisticated fraudulent schemes that you have encountered? — All scams are interesting in their own way. We recently detained such a figure. His scheme surprises not with its sophistication, but, on the contrary, with its apparent simplicity and the great income it brought to the author. At one time, the young man worked in auto insurance. Then he quit and, when leaving, took insurance forms with him to continue his career, but on his own. He began offering people to insure their car, posing as an agent of the company. He knew perfectly well what needed to be said, all the intricacies of an agent’s work, so he was convincing. I filled out the forms at home on the computer. For each transaction I received about one hundred thousand rubles. — According to your observations, what character traits do scammers have in common? What makes them different from other criminals? — Swindlers, as a rule, are well-off financially, know how to communicate, win over their interlocutor, and have the talent of persuasion. Very resourceful and immensely arrogant - they will lie to your face and won’t even blink an eye. They have the endurance of professional poker players. They probably need a certain amount of courage. For example, one of the most common fraudulent schemes is visiting an apartment under the guise of a representative of social security or another organization and collecting contributions. We still have to dare to do this. After all, in the end, the residents may not believe it, call the police, or, as the swindler hero of the classic novel said, “they will simply start beating.” Fraudsters manage to deceive more than one person in this way; they fool entire floors of residents. Even during interrogation, they behave completely differently from other criminals. Thieves, for example, deny everything and are mostly silent. The fraudster willingly enters into dialogue. Sitting in your office, he will politely but actively prove that you are wrong, he was detained illegally, and he will say all this with enthusiasm and sincere bewilderment. He immediately comes up with answers to provocative questions, convincing him of his innocence. — What cases from your practice do you remember? — There are enough stories, there were a lot of funny situations. One day, two thieves were detained - a man and a girl. There were many episodes behind them. The man picked the lock, the girl entered the apartment and stole valuables. During a search in the apartment where the criminals lived, we found a large and very interesting handwritten work. It turns out that the thief recorded data on all the thefts he committed, including dates and addresses. This is the gift he prepared for us in his own home. Invaluable, considering how difficult it is to collect evidence in our work. We didn’t have to “prick” the detainee or rack our brains over the evidence. It was enough to simply check all the crime scenes at the addresses and collect an exhaustive amount of evidence. There were other funny cases. One day, a thief entered an apartment through a ventilation shaft and, when he left the same way, got stuck. He remained in this position until the owners returned and called the police. Another criminal committed theft, despite the fact that the apartment was equipped with a security alarm with access to the police remote control. He, knowing that he had little time, grabbed the valuables and rushed out of the house. I took the elevator and got stuck in it. The arriving private security officers, seeing that the elevator was not working, assumed that the criminal was in it. The elevator was repaired and the thief was detained. Each detective has many interesting stories, some of them funny, some not so much. In any case, it’s difficult in our business without a sense of humor. It helps not to lose courage in difficult situations and cope with stress. The effectiveness of work and success in the fight against crime depend on the general morale of the team. In our department this is in complete order.

Interviewed by Sergey Kurtsev, photo by Yulia MAKARTSEVA

What is the Anti-Fraud Department and how to contact it

If fraud occurred via the Internet, it must be punished. The degree of punishment is determined by the amount of damage from the crime, and therefore may entail a fine, arrest, compulsory labor or imprisonment for the guilty person. The Computer Information Department or “Department K” of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is engaged in the fight against Internet fraud. If you file a report of internet fraud with the police, the officers will forward your report to the correct department.

If the attacker is identified, a criminal case will be initiated. The guilty person will be punished with a fine, and the victim will be paid compensation, the amount of which will be determined in court.

Types of fraud

According to Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the following types of fraud committed are distinguished:

individually without the use of official position;
by a group of persons on the basis of preliminary agreements;
a person who used his official position;
in the form of deliberate failure to fulfill its contractual obligations.

The punishment for fraud also depends on the amount of damage that was caused to the victim. The types of damage are as follows:

significant - more than five thousand rubles;
large - over two hundred and fifty thousand rubles;
especially large – one million or more.

Additional questions

What to do if you are denied a criminal case

They can indeed refuse to initiate criminal proceedings, sometimes this is due to insufficient evidence, sometimes the investigation is considered hopeless. In case of an unlawful refusal, a complaint should be filed with the investigative committee and the prosecutor's office to check the actions of the police, it writes:

controversial reasons for refusing to investigate;
additional information about the crime;
data of employees who refused to initiate a case.

Two copies of the complaint should be submitted: one is sent to the prosecutor's office, and the other, after receiving a mark of acceptance, is returned to the applicant. If law enforcement officers extort money or directly violate the law, this should be reported to the Ministry of Internal Affairs hotline at the number.

How to sue a site

Filing a lawsuit is possible if the user has become a victim of online deception by a legal entity (individual entrepreneur or organization). An application to the court is submitted after sending a written complaint to the dishonest seller.

Such claims are filed at the place of registration of the victim and are not subject to state duty.

A lawsuit for the recovery of unjust enrichment shall include the following information:

the name of the judicial authority where the case will be heard;
Full name of the plaintiff, his address details and contacts for feedback;
the registration address of the defendant and the name of his organization;
total amount of claim.

The text of the document lists facts of fraud on the part of an individual entrepreneur or other legal entity with references to the clauses of the law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”. It is also necessary to indicate the claims against the defendant and attach evidence of fraud (screenshots of correspondence, receipts, etc.).

Is it possible to complain to Yandex

You can report a fraudulent site on the Yandex search engine page. To do this you will need to perform the following algorithm:

Open Yandex search engine.
Scroll down the page and go to the technical support tab.
Select the “Complain” option from the drop-down list.
Please indicate the type of problem. If the template options are not suitable, then select the “Other problems” option and state the situation.
Fill out the electronic form. You can attach up to 10 screenshots to your complaint.
Submit your application.

The application must contain links to pages of the fraudulent site where there are facts of violation of the law. The more evidence of fraud the user provides, the faster the request will be considered.

How to get your money back if you were scammed on Avito

Services Avito, Yula and others perform an intermediary function between the buyer and seller, therefore they are not responsible for concluding transactions on the site. The only thing the administration can do against an unscrupulous user is to block his profile.

If you have suffered from fraudulent activities on such sales services, then immediately contact the site’s technical support. If the administration’s attempts to resolve the controversial situation peacefully are unsuccessful, the fraudster will be blocked by IP address.

Filing a police report

To submit an application, you must contact the police department at the place of residence or where the crime was committed. If the applicant made a mistake with the jurisdiction, the police will independently forward the submitted application to the correct department. Citizens' appeals are registered, and the applicant is given a receipt receipt with an incoming registration number. The document may be needed if you contact the prosecutor's office or court regarding an unreasonable refusal to initiate a criminal case.

Note!
In addition to the police, any citizen can contact the prosecutor's office to protect their rights. However, it should be borne in mind that it is the police who conduct the investigation. And if you first contact the prosecutor’s office, then they have the right to transfer the case to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for investigation.

The police are given 3 days to consider an application from a citizen, and in more complex cases the period can be increased to 10 days. If law enforcement officers find elements of a crime in the actions specified in the application, then a decision is made to initiate a criminal case and an investigator is appointed.