No one is immune from extortion. You can encounter it in almost any area of human life, starting with unpleasant situations that result in a threat to life, and ending with extortion by officials or employees of various institutions (hospitals, schools, kindergartens, etc.).
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In most cases, a citizen who finds himself in such a situation simply does not know what to do and how to protect his rights.
What is the essence of extortion?
If we consider extortion in a general sense, then it should be regarded as a demand for the transfer of money or other property, committed with the use of violence. Violence in this case can be both physical and mental.
Extortion is a criminal offense (Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
There are many ways in which extortion can occur:
- threat – extortionists may threaten murder or other reprisals;
- intimidation - for example, if the subject of extortion does not comply with the demands of the criminals, then his property will be damaged;
- blackmail - extortionists may know some information about the victim that he does not want to make public; in exchange for silence, criminals begin to demand money or other valuable property.
In any case, the victim of extortion must know what measures to take and what line to protect his own rights to take.
Legal fees
Federal Law No. 273 “On Education in the Russian Federation” states that school administration may charge additional fees for the provision of additional services. Among these services:
- Teaching additional material or a subject that is not in the school curriculum.
- Teaching disciplines for the special development of children.
- Tutoring and teaching material at an in-depth level.
- Other services that are not provided for by Russian legislation.
A specific list of services is established at the school itself, based on its charter.
What can they demand?
The subject of extortion can be various types of property and material goods; attackers can also demand the transfer of ownership rights to real estate. For example, forcing the victim to “resign” the property to one of the extortionists.
In this case, we will be talking about extortion of especially valuable property.
In another case, criminals may demand to write a receipt under threat stating that a previously taken out debt was repaid, although in fact no actual repayment was made.
Sources of financing
According to Russian legislation, education in public schools is financed from the budget. These funds must cover all costs for:
- Teaching subjects within the program.
- Repair of school property.
- Purchase of necessary equipment and teaching aids (within the framework of the program).
- Ensuring the safety of schoolchildren.
Only additional elective education services can be paid for by the parents themselves, since the law does not oblige state funding to be spent on them and does not allocate money for these expenses.
What to do if they extort money?
Don't panic. The victim must understand that all actions of extortionists are completely illegal.
What follows from this? At any first sign of extortion on the part of third parties, you should immediately contact the police with a corresponding statement.
Possible options
As stated earlier, if extortion occurs, you should contact your local police department. Many are afraid to contact law enforcement agencies due to the fact that attackers threaten violence if the victim reports them.
This is done for the purpose of psychological influence. That is why you should pull yourself together and turn to law enforcement officers, since only they can help solve the problem in a legal way.
In any case, you shouldn’t sit back and wait until the attackers actually take active action.
It is important to understand that even complete compliance with the demands of ransomware is not a one hundred percent guarantee that their actions will stop.
On the contrary, they will understand that they were able to influence the person, which means they can get even more from him.
If for some unknown reason the police refuse to accept the application, you must contact the prosecutor's office.
If the situation is hopeless and law enforcement agencies are inactive, you can alternatively contact the Federal Security Service.
The FSB will not only help the injured person, but will also do everything to ensure that unscrupulous law enforcement officers are brought to justice.
Before applying, if possible, you should obtain evidence that will help you quickly get on the trail of the criminals.
Son/grandson with mother/grandmother
Situations where children extort money from their parents are, unfortunately, not uncommon.
The frightening fact is that most of these cases are simply kept silent, no one reports to the police, and the perpetrator continues to commit illegal acts.
Of course, no parent wants to expose family problems to publicity. This can be allowed if, for example, a son regularly asks his mother for money without threatening or causing harm, and the mother, in turn, voluntarily gives it.
The situation is different in a situation where a son or grandson forcibly begins to extort money from his mother (grandmother). Extortion is accompanied by threats and bodily harm.
There are situations in which children not only swindle money, but demand that they give up more valuable property; we can even talk about real estate (an apartment or a house).
In this case, the injured party should contact the police, providing evidence of the act of extortion.
If guilt is proven, then the case may well go to court, and then the extortionist will receive a real sentence.
Find out from the article whether you can sue for libel. Read about registering minors with the IPA here.
In a minor child
Minor children belong to the least socially protected category of citizens, since they cannot objectively protect themselves from illegal actions on the part of third parties. Cases of extortion from children are quite common.
Not only peers, but also adults can act on the side of extortionists.
The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, in Article 163, indicates that extortion from persons under the age of majority, money or other valuable property, is a crime.
If the child’s parents or other persons become aware of the facts of extortion, they should not remain silent and expect that the child will cope with the situation on his own. In many cases, children tend to remain silent about their problems, which leads to real negative consequences.
To protect the interests of the child, a certain algorithm of actions should be followed:
- report cases of extortion to the management of the educational institution in which the child and the offenders are being educated, for the possible application of educational measures against the extortionists;
- contact the juvenile affairs commission if the offender has not reached the age of 18;
- submit an appropriate application to law enforcement agencies, demanding that the offender be brought to justice.
It is important to remember that a timely application for the protection of a child’s rights will depend on his moral and mental state.
Remotely on the Internet or VK (VKontakte)
Most citizens use social networks and various Internet resources, which allows criminals to carry out their illegal actions remotely, including extorting money.
There are several ways to solve the problem:
- Contact the police. This method is the most reliable and proven. To do this, you should write a statement describing the problem that has arisen. As a rule, criminals use programs that block access to IP addresses. The special operational police department “K”, which is responsible for investigating crimes in the field of computer information, will help expose the criminals.
- Ignoring threats. Many cases of remote extortion remain unfinished. If the victim does not respond to messages, does not give in to threats and blackmail, the criminal may simply leave behind. Alternatively, you can simply delete your page on the social network or avoid visiting it for a long time. If possible, it is important to try to erase all information about yourself from the network (addresses, phone numbers, contacts, etc.). This option does not always work, since an attacker can turn threats into real actions.
In the army
If there is a case of extortion in the army, you should contact the leadership of the military unit directly.
The appeal must be made either in writing or by making an appointment in person.
If the management does not take action after considering the application, then you should write a statement to the military prosecutor's office, which must verify all the stated arguments of the applicant and punish the perpetrators.
By receipt
It is not uncommon for a debtor to refuse to fulfill his financial obligation. And when they start demanding repayment of the debt from him, he brings charges of extortion.
To avoid such cases, you should correctly document the fact of transfer of funds by drawing up a receipt.
If the lender legally asks to return his money, then there can be no question of any extortion. Moreover, when making such an accusation, you need to have significant evidence to support your words.
If the borrower is required to repay the debt under the receipt in a forced form through threats, extortion of valuables, rights to property, etc., then he should contact law enforcement agencies, since the actions of the lender will be illegal.
After all, extortion is a criminal offense.
Fortune teller at the client's
Currently, you can find quite a lot of advertisements for fortune teller services. Not all of them do their jobs conscientiously.
In practice, there are situations in which clients not only remained dissatisfied with the results of visits to fortune-tellers, but were involved in various frauds, including extortion. For example, a fortune teller extorts money or other material assets under the threat of making the client’s personal data public.
In this case, the injured party has the right to contact the police.
It’s another matter if the client himself, of his own free will, brings money to the fortune teller, wanting to achieve a certain result, but in fact receives nothing. Having not received what he wanted, he begins to believe that the fortune teller has swindled money from him. The fact of extortion in any of the cases requires confirmation, not verbal arguments.
Owner of a rented apartment
Situations in which the owners of a rented apartment can extort money from tenants are quite banal. Typically, this occurs when tenants decide to move out. In this case, landlords begin to demand money for the month in advance or to pay for some expenses they have incurred, which, at the same time, they cannot confirm in any way.
Tenants in such a situation should pay attention to the fact that there was a rental agreement with the apartment owners.
If in fact it did not exist, they have no right to demand anything from the tenants, which means that all their actions will be illegal.
Bandits/Chechens
With any extortion, it is important to prove the very fact of illegal actions committed by third parties.
In this case, there are two options to solve the problem:
- independently collect witness statements, photographs, videos, audio, etc.;
- contact the police, where they will tell you how to act and help in catching the criminals.
It’s worth noting right away that extortionists, played by bandits or Chechens, are really dangerous, since, without getting what they want, they can begin to carry out threats.
For example, beat the victim, set fire to his property, threaten his family and friends.
You should not remain silent and try to solve the problem yourself. When talking with extortionists, it is better not to be alone with them; there should always be witnesses. All conversations should be recorded. The collected evidence will help police officers in solving the crime.
At work
If money is extorted at work, then it is important to identify the fact of an unlawful act in the actions of the offender, which is subject to criminal punishment.
As a rule, management may be involved in extorting money at work. There are many cases where an employer engages in arbitrariness. For example, he arbitrarily confiscates an employee’s property to compensate for the damage that, in his opinion, the employee caused.
Arbitrariness is punishable under Article 330 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
In any case, it is important to take into account the circumstances and nuances that will help qualify the crime. Audio and video recording, witness testimony, and correspondence with the extortionist will help in collecting evidence.
At school/kindergarten/doctors
There are a lot of cases where employees of educational or medical institutions extort money from citizens. This is especially true for schools and kindergartens, where money can be extorted for simply enrolling in an educational institution.
If there are facts of extortion, you should first obtain evidence and then contact higher management. This could be the health department or the education department of the city administration.
If higher authorities do not react to the complaint, you must contact the police or prosecutor’s office with all the evidence and arguments.
For the video
Regardless of what they use to blackmail, video or correspondence, the actions of the attackers will be illegal and subject to criminal punishment.
Responsibility for this form of extortion is provided for in Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
A statement regarding extortion must be submitted to the police department at your place of residence.
DPS or police
Unfortunately, not all traffic police inspectors or police officers act in the interests of citizens in compliance with the current legislation.
Some of them are trying to make money and begin to unreasonably demand money from citizens:
- Traffic police officers can take actions to stop vehicles and present non-existent claims to drivers, pointing out their violations of the law.
- The police, when receiving citizens, may demand money for solving their problem in a short time.
All facts of violations by employees should be recorded on audio and video, and then contact the prosecutor’s office or the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Read about bank card fraud on our website. Is it possible to complain about bailiffs via the Internet? Read here.
What is the fine for losing a Russian passport? Find out in this article.
By phone
As a rule, extortion by phone consists of the following:
- a citizen receives an SMS or a phone call saying that one of his relatives is to blame for an accident, has been detained by the police, etc.;
- For the opportunity to avoid punishment, extortionists begin to demand money, which must be urgently transferred to the card number.
As practice shows, every second citizen, having received this kind of message, follows the lead of the extortionists and transfers funds without hesitation. Should not be doing that!
You should proceed as follows:
- Call the relative who allegedly committed the crime and find out if everything is okay with him.
- After this, when the scammers call again, try to record the conversation, you can even lie that their demands will be fulfilled so as not to scare them off.
- Having received evidence in the form of a recorded conversation, immediately go to the police station and write a statement describing the situation in detail.
For services rendered
In this case, it is important to understand who demands money and for what services. If we are talking about performing work or providing services, it is necessary to understand the legality of the requirements.
It is not uncommon for situations when the subject has performed the service, but the customer refuses to sign the certificate of completion of the work or is not going to pay the money. If there is an agreement for the provision of services and everything is actually done properly, then the contractor has the right to demand money for his services.
If the contractor has received the money, all payments have been made correctly, but he continues to extort, the customer should contact the police, since his actions will already indicate violations of the law.
Basic measures
If you receive demands from an extortionist, you should not panic, but contact law enforcement agencies as soon as possible. Extortion is a criminal offense, so a criminal complaint must be filed.
In standard cases
If the situation of extortion is standard, then the actions of the injured party must be clearly structured. First, an evidence base is collected, after which an appeal is made to law enforcement agencies.
If there is blackmail
Blackmail is considered to be a crime under Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
What to do:
- The first and most important rule is not to panic.
- Contact the police with a statement.
Attach to the application the available evidence that the applicant is indeed being blackmailed. This could be an audio recording of a telephone call, a printout of correspondence with the blackmailer, or a video recording of a conversation with him.
No threats
Even if ransomware does not make threats, this does not mean that their actions are legal and legal.
There is no guarantee that after a while they will not take any illegal actions towards the victim. Therefore, in case of any extortion, you should immediately contact the police.
Banks and collectors
The evidence will be the same audio recordings.
All evidence should be collected and presented to the prosecutor's office or police.
If a bank extorts money through its representatives, you should send an official letter to the credit institution, where you indicate all the claims. Even the presence of debt does not give banks and collectors the right to threaten the lives of citizens.
Proof
The following information can prove extortion:
- audio recording of a conversation with intruders;
- witness statements;
- any type of correspondence with extortionists;
- if bodily injury is caused - a medical examination report.
How to behave?
If you become a victim of extortion, you should not immediately comply with the demands presented.
In this case, you should not refuse to comply with the extortionist’s demands, but only delay the transfer of money as much as possible, trying to maintain contact with the extortionists, thereby having the opportunity to collect more evidence for further contacting the police.
What should you not do?
If you become the target of extortion, you should not try to resolve the issue yourself.
The main thing is not to stoop to their level by starting to solve the problem using illegal methods, putting forward counter threats or putting them into practice.
It is important to do everything correctly - record conversations, save all correspondence and transfer it to law enforcement officers, who will resolve the issue within the framework of the law.
Where to go?
First of all, you need to file a complaint with the police. It is advisable that by the time of application there is already some evidence indicating a crime has been committed, which must be attached to the application.
The application is submitted in accordance with Article 141 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation.
Collectors threaten - what to do? The procedure is in the article. Who pays off a consumer loan after the death of the borrower? Find out here.
How to write a statement to the police?
This document should be as short as possible, as precise as possible and without emotion.
You must specify:
- start date of extortion;
- who acts as an extortionist (if this fact is known);
- what demands does the attacker make;
- what threats?
- how and when the transfer of property should take place;
- request for inspection/action.
Compilation example:
Responsibility and punishment
Punishment for this crime is provided for in Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. It is worth noting that the maximum sentence for extortion is up to 15 years in prison.
Illegal extortions
Since education within the school curriculum in Russia is free, any demands to donate money for the needs of a school or class are illegal.
Naturally, it is illegal to collect money for teaching disciplines included in the program approved by the Ministry of Education. For example, parents do not have to pay for additional lessons in which children are prepared for a test, since preparation for it is included in the program.
Another common type of extortion is paying school security guards. But the law obliges the administration of the educational institution to ensure the safety of students while they are at school.
Textbooks should also be provided free of charge. Only for benefits for additional courses not included in the program, parents may be required to pay.
The school must have a wardrobe in which an employee will work to monitor the safety of students’ belongings. This also does not have to be paid for by the parents.
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Repair and purchase of equipment, according to Federal Law No. 83, must also be carried out entirely from budget funds. Accordingly, when a school demands money for repair work, it violates the legislation of the Russian Federation.
How to protect yourself and your loved ones?
Any citizen should know that no one has grounds to violate his rights and legitimate interests. The same applies to his loved ones.
The legislation is aimed at protecting the population; accordingly, you should not be afraid to exercise your civil rights.
The state has vested various structures with the rights to implement the provisions of the law in practice. This includes the police, prosecutor's office, investigative committee, etc.
Thus, for protection, citizens should contact the specified departments and completely entrust them with the investigation of the crime.
Legislative regulation
The right of Russian citizens to free education is defined in Article 43 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. In addition to this document, the financial aspects of the educational process are regulated by Federal Law No. 273 “On Education in the Russian Federation”.
The issue of collecting money is further regulated by Resolution of the Ministry of Education No. 126 of 2016. This document prohibits parent committees from collecting money for the needs of the school.
According to all these legislative acts, parents can refuse to hand over money without giving reasons.
