MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. The Central Bank has recorded several coronavirus-inspired fraud schemes, offering sham investments into production of a coronavirus vaccine and protective aids and precious metals, Valeriy Lyakh, director of the Bank of Russia’s Department for Countering Misconduct, told reporters on Tuesday.
"There have been several schemes in the midst of the quarantine, namely investment pitches into the production of face masks and gloves or procurements of masks and gloves in foreign states for resale here. There have also been several offers related to pouring money into vaccine development. And I must say that this didn’t happen yesterday, it was at the very beginning of the lockdown. Certainly, these were low-profile cases, more like ‘probing’ the market to a greater extent. These were cross-border cases, not merely for potential Russian clients, but [they] also targeted CIS and other states," the official said.
The regulator also ferreted out schemes where swindlers sought to benefit from the high volatility on financial markets, Lyakh noted.
"There were several projects offering investments into precious metals, an asset that demonstrated high volatility amid growth, rather than a downward trend," he added.