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Coronavirus pandemic

New credit history scamming scheme spreads in Russia amid COVID-19 pandemic - newspaper

Many fake websites offer to make the credit history better, but that would be much more expensive - 10,000 to 300,000 rubles

© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

MOSCOW, May 12. /TASS/. A new credit history scamming scheme via phishing websites spreads across Russia amid the coronavirus pandemic, Izvestia newspaper reported Tuesday, citing the National Credit History Bureau.

"Online search for credit history obtaining is extremely popular. People make thousands of searches every month and those lead them to phishing websites that offer to provide credit history fast and inexpensively. To that end, a user must file his personal data in a form and pay the money - only 299 rubles. Many websites offer to make the credit history better, but that would be much more expensive - 10,000 to 300,000 rubles," says the Bureau’s marketing directory Alexey Volkov.

According to Izvestia, the number of requests to the fake websites grew by 70% since February - from 50,000 to 83,600 visitors. According to Volkov, this happens because of reduced income amid the pandemic, as well as state anti-crisis measures, including payment holidays.

The Bank of Russia explains that the credit history could be obtained twice a year free of charge.

"Only organizations, included in the state registry of the [Bureau], posted at the Bank of Russia website, are permitted to process and provide information on credit histories," the Bank’s press service said, adding that currently the list includes 10 organizations.

On April 3, 2020, a law on payment holidays due to coronavirus-induced negative effects entered force. The law guarantees postponement of payments on credits and loans of up to six months, including to individual entrepreneurs, small and medium businesses, if their national economic activity identifier has been included in the list of the affected industries.

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