MOSCOW, May 2. /TASS/. Russians are falling victim to fraud in the microfinance sector more often, Nikolay Veselikhin, head of the legal support and judicial practice department at the Center for legal assistance to citizens in the digital environment, told TASS on Tuesday.

According to him, the percentage of complaints from citizens who succumbed to scams in this sector increased from 17.5% in 2022 to 48% in the first months of 2023.

"The percentage of requests related to illegal actions regarding personal data in the field of microfinance activities has increased significantly - from 17.5% in 2022 to 48% in the past period of 2023," the expert said.

Most of these calls to the center are related to the fact that fraudsters fill out applications for loans on behalf of citizens on the websites of microfinance organizations using their personal data. For example, a resident of Yekaterinburg turned to the center and said that he had received a message from one of the microfinance organizations demanding to pay off the debt. After inquiring and examining his credit reports, the lawyers found out that more than 40 loans were applied for in the name of the applicant and 17 of them were approved. As a result of the accumulated debts, his credit rating has significantly decreased.

The center's experts help citizens invalidate such contracts, as well as restore the credit rating of the victim and get compensation for non-pecuniary damage.

"After conducting internal audits, microfinance organizations satisfy more than 50% of the claims prepared by the center from citizens in a pre-trial order," Veselikhin said.

According to the expert, despite the law in force in Russia protecting the rights and legitimate interests of individuals in the recovery of overdue debts, many applicants complain about the actions of collectors who violate their right to privacy, discredit their honor and dignity.

Those acting in the interests of the claimant call not only the debtor himself, but also his family, friends and even the employer. In some cases, information about debtors, including their personal data, is distributed by collectors in open sources on the network, accompanied by offensive and threatening comments.

In such cases, the Center can help stop the dissemination of personal data on the Internet and get it deleted, as well as prepare appeals to regulatory and law enforcement agencies.

"Regardless of whether a citizen has an overdue debt or not, it is necessary to respect his honor and dignity. Threats, psychological pressure, and illegal use of personal data are not allowed," Veselikhin said.

About the center

The Center for legal assistance to citizens in the digital environment is an independent structural subdivision of the federal state unitary enterprise "Main Radio Frequency Center," subordinate to Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor. The center was established in September 2021 at the initiative of Roskomnadzor. Its lawyers deal with issues related to the illegal use of personal data.