ST. PETERSBURG, June 18. /TASS/. Russians' losses from cyber fraudsters in 2025 may exceed 330 billion rubles ($4.2 bln) if the current pace of crime growth continues, Stanislav Kuznetsov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Sberbank, said in an interview with TASS on the eve of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"This year, fraudsters have unsuccessfully tried to steal more than 170 billion rubles ($2.2 bln) from Sberbank clients. We have also returned 1.7 billion rubles ($21.5 mln) from dropper accounts since the beginning of the year, which is more than for the entire last year. According to our estimates, since the beginning of the year, fraudsters have stolen more than 80 billion rubles ($1 bln) from Russians, which is more than for the same period last year. If the trend continues, then the damage by the end of the year could amount to 330-340 billion rubles," Kuznetsov said.
According to Sber's estimates, the real picture in Russia may be even more serious, since the country still lacks unified and coordinated statistics on cybercrime.
"Each agency - the Interior Ministry, the Bank of Russia, banks and telecom operators - maintain their own records, which makes it difficult to objectively assess the scale of the threat. Sberbank proposes to create a single digital platform for recording cybercrimes based on a national coordination center. The system will use artificial intelligence technologies to analyze incidents in real time and develop proactive measures," Kuznetsov noted.
He also advocated for tightening the legislation, proposing to introduce mandatory licensing of equipment for mass mailings (SIM-box), establish criminal liability for creating fake accounts and counterfeit digital identities, and oblige all banks and telecom companies to systematically combat operators of schemes for cashing and transferring funds from fraud.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is under way on June 18-21. This year, the forum’s main theme is "Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World." The Roscongress Foundation is the organizer of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. TASS is its information partner.