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The state has been fighting the so-called "gray" SIM cards for several years. Bill No. 647048-8, submitted to the State Duma for consideration, marked an important milestone in this work aimed at fraudsters, "telephone" criminals and terrorists.
Changes in the legislation are aimed at deanonymizing mobile subscribers and, as a result, combating mobile numbers that do not allow identifying the subscriber's identity.
RAPSI together with experts analyzed why it is so important to limit the turnover of "gray" SIM cards, and also considered the provisions of the new draft law.
"Gray" numbers as the basis of a crime
According to statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, in January-May of this year, 304.1 thousand crimes committed using information technologies, telecommunications or in the field of computer information were registered. This is 16.5% more than in the same period last year. Almost half of these crimes (46.7%) were committed using mobile communications, which is 20.9% more than in the same period last year.
Attackers, as a rule, do not use phone numbers that law enforcement agencies can easily and easily identify them – they use "gray" SIM cards, that is, those that are issued with fictitious, incomplete or incorrect passport data. In this case, it is extremely difficult to find the caller.
Experts believe that the spread of such "gray" SIM cards is a serious threat to the security of both individual citizens and the entire country.
In addition, "gray" SIM cards are one of the key components of many phone fraud schemes.
It seems that many of our fellow citizens are familiar with calls from mobile numbers, when the caller introduces himself as a bank employee, an employee of a mobile operator, or even an FSB officer. Depending on the legend, the attacker requires redirecting money to a secure account, providing data from SMS messages, and so on. Statistics of the Bank of Russia for 2023 are as follows: cyber fraudsters managed to steal 15.8 billion rubles from the accounts of Russian citizens and conduct more than 1.17 million successful operations for illegal withdrawal of funds, which is 33% more than a year earlier.
For more information about phone fraud and social engineering methods, see the RAPSI article "The Fraudster, the Bank and I: The Anthropology of Phone Fraud".
With the beginning of the SVO, Ukrainian special services, terrorists and other persons whose criminal intentions are much more dangerous to society than simple fraud actively began to use" gray " numbers to achieve their goals. So, since mid-2022, a whole wave of news has rolled across the country about the arson of relay cabinets on railways, military enlistment offices, various kinds of sabotage and terrorist attacks committed by our own citizens.
Recruitment methods for committing illegal acts vary-from pressure on selfish motives to threats and blackmail. But the means of such recruitment, as a rule, are mobile communications and the Internet. Even if the victim of a telephone attack promptly turns to law enforcement agencies in connection with a call she received with a proposal (requirement) to commit, for example, sabotage, it will be extremely difficult to find the caller.
Thus, the fight against "gray" SIM cards becomes an element of protecting state security.
In addition, "gray" numbers are also actively used by drug dealers, weapon sellers, extortionists and other representatives of the criminal world, as well as all sorts of online hooligans engaged in bullying and cyber-bullying: they are almost impossible to identify, and therefore they feel their complete impunity.
As you can see, in general, the problem of "gray" SIM cards is very extensive. The prevalence of such SIM cards is also impressive. According to Roskomnadzor, since November 1, 2023, 76.9 million violations of the reliability of information about subscribers have been detected. Of these, 69.8 million violations were corrected - the operators entered correct data. 3.7 million SIM cards issued with violations were blocked or their contracts were terminated, most of them in the first half of this year.
In addition, the agency revealed that today 265 people have more than 1 thousand SIM cards each. In total, they own over 1.1 million mobile numbers.
In this context, more and more experts are speaking out in favor of tougher liability, including criminal liability, for sellers of "gray" mobile numbers. In addition, the issue of their distribution is also proposed to take into account the responsibility of mobile operators. When" gray " SIM cards are sold out of control or distributed for years, there can be no talk of any accidents and coincidences, experts are sure.
Given the current geopolitical situation, many experts agree that foreigners should not have easy access to Russian SIM cards. Each of those who express a desire to purchase a national mobile number of the Russian Federation should be identified by a wide range of characteristics. This is necessary for the safety of Russian citizens.
The rules will be stricter for foreign subscribers
Proposals to improve the Russian legislation in the sphere of SIM card turnover were expressed in the new draft law "On Amendments to the Federal Law "On Communications" and the Federal Law "On the Implementation of Identification and (or) Authentication of Individuals using Biometric Personal Data, on amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation and Recognition as invalid". force of certain provisions of legislative acts of the Russian Federation" (in terms of clarifying the specifics of providing communication services), which was submitted to the State Duma for consideration in early summer and has already been adopted by deputies in the first reading.
According to the explanatory note to the draft law, the amendments will help streamline the relationship between operators and subscribers, including foreign citizens, when providing mobile communication services. The proposed measures will also help prevent illegal actions on the part of subscribers.
The most important provisions of the draft law under consideration relate to the procedure for concluding contracts for the provision of mobile communication services with foreigners.
So, if the document is accepted and comes into force, the conclusion of a contract for the provision of mobile communication services with foreigners will be possible only if you visit the office or point of sale of telecom operators/dealers in person and pass identification and (or) authentication using the "Unified System for Identification and Authentication of Individuals using biometric personal Data".
The previous passport identification procedure will be preserved only for diplomats and equivalent persons and representatives of international organizations. It is expected that this will increase the degree of reliable identification of foreigners at the place of conclusion of the contract and ensure that the personal data of such subscribers is correctly linked to the issued subscriber numbers.
In contracts with foreigners, information about the identification code of the device used (IMEI) will also be entered without fail, that is, a foreigner will not be able to use the SIM card on another device that is not specified in the contract-if the card is rearranged, it will be blocked.
When entering into a contract with a subscriber who is a legal entity or sole proprietor, when the user of communication services is a foreigner, the contract will also need to specify information about their employment relationship with the subscriber who is a legal entity or sole proprietor, if the SIM card is used as a service card.
The draft law also provides that a foreign citizen or a stateless person may be allocated a total of no more than 10 subscriber numbers.
The initiators believe that all this will increase the degree of correct identification of foreign subscribers in the communication network.
The bill also addresses the issue of using those SIM cards that will already be in circulation by the time it comes into force. Thus, foreign subscribers who have concluded contracts for the provision of mobile radiotelephone services before the date of entry into force of the draft law will need to conclude new contracts taking into account the new requirements until March 1, 2025.
In case of non-fulfillment of the relevant requirements, the operator will be obliged to stop providing communication services under the relevant contracts.
There will be fewer calls from scammers
The draft law also obliges the telecom operator to notify subscribers of all registered contracts for the provision of communication services prior to the start of providing services, with the possibility to suspend service to those numbers for which the subscriber did not actually enter into the contract.
Operators will send such notification to the subscriber via the Gosuslugi portal and via SMS messages. On the portal "Gosuslugi", as promised, there will be a new section "My SIM cards", in which all phone numbers issued on the passport data of a particular individual will be indicated.
Despite the fact that there were some minor comments on the draft law concerning legal techniques and the need for linguistic and stylistic correction of the draft text, conceptually the bill was met with a very positive reception by law enforcement agencies and the legal community.
Experts note that the planned tightening of the rules for selling SIM cards will not bring any negative consequences for law-abiding citizens who use their number exclusively for legal purposes - as a rule, Russians do not buy SIM cards so often that verification and other complications really cause them inconvenience.
At the same time, the bill can seriously complicate illegal access to mobile communication services, make some fraudulent schemes completely unrealizable, and reduce risks to people and national security.
If the bill is passed, then everyone who has a mobile phone will be able to assess how effective the new regulation will be in practice – for example, much will become clear from the reduced number of calls from fake banks, fake policemen and pseudo-FSB employees, and other phone scammers.
Expert opinions:
Rifat Sabitov, Chairman of the Commission for the Development of the Information Community, Mass Media and Mass Communications of the RF CC, Deputy General Director - Head of the Regional Department of VGTRK:
"The need to restore order in the SIM card market in order to stop the spread of dangerous and malicious content, fraud using so-called "gray sim cards", numbers without an identified owner, is quite obvious and long overdue. Each of us, sometimes as many times a day, becomes the object of an aggressive attack from such numbers: calls, newsletters in instant messengers, which are impossible to get rid of. The order of turnover of SIM cards should be transparent and clear. You need to verify the subscriber, you need to verify the data of users of already issued SIM cards, which is what mobile operators are actively engaged in right now.
For Russians, when applying for a SIM card, the presence of a passport remains sufficient, the bill also provides for the obligation of mobile operators to post information about the registered numbers of a citizen on the Public Services portal. This will allow us to control for ourselves what contracts with mobile operators we have concluded, if any, and use.
A more stringent procedure is provided for foreign citizens who want to purchase a Russian SIM card. Here you already need biometric data and identification of the device on which the card will be used. Additionally, the number of mobile numbers assigned to one person is limited. And this is correct, retailers of mobile communication services are focused on Russian passports, it is problematic for them to verify various forms of foreign documents, and additional security measures are needed.
In this regard, I believe the draft law is relevant. We will evaluate how much the mobile communication environment will be cleansed and spam and illegal content will be reduced if it is adopted and comes into force. It is likely that it will also be advisable for Russian users to introduce more stringent requirements for issuing SIM cards.
As for the measures of liability for trading in gray SIM cards, which is obviously illegal, it should be consistent with the harm caused. Therefore, I think we can also talk about criminal liability."
Alexander Malkevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Commission for the Development of the Information Community, Mass Media and Mass Communications of the RF CC, Co-Chairman of the Coordination Council for the Integration of New Subjects of Russia under the RF CC:
"Any anonymity plays into the hands of criminal elements. The same applies to "gray" SIM cards, which are a significant threat to the security of our citizens and our country. The opportunity to purchase a "gray" SIM card issued to a front person is a great expanse for scammers, terrorists and Ukrainian special services. And you need to understand that demand creates supply. As we know, the vast majority of anonymous calls from scammers come from the territory of Ukraine. Thus, anyone who wants to purchase a "gray" SIM card can be a potential enemy, or at least a criminal. This may sound harsh, but when it comes to the safety of people, it is simply impossible to do otherwise.
When developing such measures, it is necessary to take into account the interests of law – abiding citizens-they should not suffer from what is originally intended for criminals. The new draft law contains prerequisites for solving such problems – verification through the Gosuslugi portal. Also, of course, do not forget about the separate rules for the turnover of SIM cards for foreigners-limiting the number of cards and selling only after registration in the Unified Biometric System. It is worth noting that many other countries have certain measures to control the use of SIM cards by foreigners, and they also appeared not just out of the blue.
There is another category of citizens who seem to be in the middle – they use "gray" SIM cards, but for domestic purposes. For example, to get a discount for the first order on the marketplace. They need to be informed that their "everyday" actions stimulate the supply of such cards on the market, which is then used by criminal elements and representatives of unfriendly countries. In addition, you need to understand that such SIM cards are registered to a fake individual or legal entity, that is, to fraudsters. Therefore, if a person starts using a "gray" SIM card, accessing, for example, social networks, instant messengers, banking applications, their personal data and money will fall into the hands of intruders.
You may get the impression that I believe that the users are solely to blame for this whole situation. In no case – in the issue of distribution of "gray" SIM cards, a significant share of responsibility lies with operators. Of course, by one chance or another, several "gray" SIM cards can actually get on the market-everyone sometimes makes mistakes. But when "gray" SIM cards are sold out of control or distributed for years, there can be no talk of any accidents and coincidences. It's more like aiding and abetting.
The draft law continues to be considered in the State Duma of the Russian Federation and, in my opinion, it could provide for additional measures of responsibility. For example, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Artem Kiryanov announced an interesting additional measure in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation: there should be a legally prescribed mechanism for forcibly blocking calls from suspicious numbers and SIM cards.
Regarding criminal liability for the implementation of "gray" SIM-cards. Perhaps such a measure is appropriate for the individual who does this. A simple fine is not enough – if such a person is a member of a criminal group, friends will easily help pay it off, and after a while they can be seen again near the metro entrance with a pack of SIM cards. If we are talking about liability for the operator, I think that a turnover fine is quite appropriate at least, given the consequences of the distribution of such cards.
Identification of the SIM card user is an important step towards the security of each individual citizen of our country. If he is law-abiding, he has absolutely nothing to fear. And let's hope that he will not have any unnecessary inconveniences either. Fraudsters, on the contrary, will seriously complicate their lives, or even make the use of such SIM cards impossible. This is the case when anonymity does not bring any benefits, but only harms those who live honestly and follow the laws of their country."
Artem Kiryanov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy:
"Recently, a draft law was submitted to the State Duma, the authors of which were Vasily Piskarev, Chairman of the Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption, and Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications. According to this bill, the "My SIM-cards" section should appear on "Gosuslugi", so that the user can see which numbers are issued for his passport data, and can stop servicing unused ones.
Foreign citizens are under special suspicion in the conditions of SVO, so the draft law also provides for the introduction of special requirements for them.
In general, it is necessary to convey to the Russians the danger of "gray" SIM cards. They can be registered to a fake individual or legal entity, that is, to fraudsters. Therefore, if a person starts using such a "gray" SIM card, accessing social networks, instant messengers, banking applications, their personal data and money will fall into the hands of intruders. "Gray" SIM cards are one of the key components of many fraudulent schemes, so eliminating their illegal distribution will be a serious obstacle to criminal activity.
It should be borne in mind that "gray" SIM cards are also attractive to a certain extent for ordinary Russians, not scammers who use them for utilitarian purposes. For example, they leave a "gray" number in various applications and when issuing loyalty cards, so as not to encounter SMS spam on the main number later. The desire to protect your main number can be understood, but a" gray " SIM card is not needed for this, it is enough to issue a second number in your own name and use it in a similar way.
The active use of "gray" SIM cards by ordinary citizens only fuels the demand for this service and "inflates" the market, which contributes to the growth of crimes. The authorities, including law enforcement agencies, are forced to deal with the consequences of such negligence. People's personal data is actually "digital oil" by value. Personal data leakage is primarily a blow to the security of citizens. The least that can threaten victims of such incidents is receiving spam calls and messages. Otherwise, Russians may face the real scammers and extortionists themselves and suffer financial losses.
Another" risk zone "for users' personal data today is VPN services. Apps have never been caught being negligent about users ' personal data. In addition, it is not uncommon for databases of such services to be merged into the darknet or sold to third parties. Today, in addition to everything else, VPNs have become a powerful tool for attackers, with which they can cause a lot of problems to users. Starting from spam mailings and ending with serious extortion scams.
I think that it is still not necessary to introduce criminal liability, that is, a special composition in the Criminal Code for SIM cards, because a number of actions with SIM cards already fall under the Criminal Code. I also see an opportunity to refer to the article about fraud.
As for administrative responsibility, of course, it should be significantly higher than today. In other words, it may be necessary to review the responsibility for illegal turnover of SIM cards under the Code of Administrative Offenses. Accordingly, liability should be provided for both individuals and legal entities."
Alexander Khinshtein, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications:
Under the pressure of the state, the "gray" market has changed — so, now the problem of holders of thousands of "sim cards"has come to the fore. According to Roskomnadzor statistics, more than a million mobile numbers are registered for a total of 256 people. How and who uses them is anyone's guess.
Back in late 2020, we gave Roskomnadzor the ability to block "gray" SIM cards, when amendments to the law "On Communications"were adopted. Since then, operators are required to check in the ESIA portal of Public Services information entered by legal entities and sole proprietors who are corporate subscribers, and about individuals. Thanks to this, the regulator conducts comprehensive work to identify and block dubious "SIM cards" — from 2024, those SIM cards whose users cannot confirm their data simply stop working.
Changes in the legislation are aimed at deanonymizing mobile subscribers and, as a result, combating mobile numbers that do not allow identifying the subscriber's identity.
RAPSI together with experts analyzed why it is so important to limit the turnover of "gray" SIM cards, and also considered the provisions of the new draft law.
"Gray" numbers as the basis of a crime
According to statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, in January-May of this year, 304.1 thousand crimes committed using information technologies, telecommunications or in the field of computer information were registered. This is 16.5% more than in the same period last year. Almost half of these crimes (46.7%) were committed using mobile communications, which is 20.9% more than in the same period last year.
Attackers, as a rule, do not use phone numbers that law enforcement agencies can easily and easily identify them – they use "gray" SIM cards, that is, those that are issued with fictitious, incomplete or incorrect passport data. In this case, it is extremely difficult to find the caller.
Experts believe that the spread of such "gray" SIM cards is a serious threat to the security of both individual citizens and the entire country.
In addition, "gray" SIM cards are one of the key components of many phone fraud schemes.
It seems that many of our fellow citizens are familiar with calls from mobile numbers, when the caller introduces himself as a bank employee, an employee of a mobile operator, or even an FSB officer. Depending on the legend, the attacker requires redirecting money to a secure account, providing data from SMS messages, and so on. Statistics of the Bank of Russia for 2023 are as follows: cyber fraudsters managed to steal 15.8 billion rubles from the accounts of Russian citizens and conduct more than 1.17 million successful operations for illegal withdrawal of funds, which is 33% more than a year earlier.
For more information about phone fraud and social engineering methods, see the RAPSI article "The Fraudster, the Bank and I: The Anthropology of Phone Fraud".
With the beginning of the SVO, Ukrainian special services, terrorists and other persons whose criminal intentions are much more dangerous to society than simple fraud actively began to use" gray " numbers to achieve their goals. So, since mid-2022, a whole wave of news has rolled across the country about the arson of relay cabinets on railways, military enlistment offices, various kinds of sabotage and terrorist attacks committed by our own citizens.
Recruitment methods for committing illegal acts vary-from pressure on selfish motives to threats and blackmail. But the means of such recruitment, as a rule, are mobile communications and the Internet. Even if the victim of a telephone attack promptly turns to law enforcement agencies in connection with a call she received with a proposal (requirement) to commit, for example, sabotage, it will be extremely difficult to find the caller.
Thus, the fight against "gray" SIM cards becomes an element of protecting state security.
In addition, "gray" numbers are also actively used by drug dealers, weapon sellers, extortionists and other representatives of the criminal world, as well as all sorts of online hooligans engaged in bullying and cyber-bullying: they are almost impossible to identify, and therefore they feel their complete impunity.
As you can see, in general, the problem of "gray" SIM cards is very extensive. The prevalence of such SIM cards is also impressive. According to Roskomnadzor, since November 1, 2023, 76.9 million violations of the reliability of information about subscribers have been detected. Of these, 69.8 million violations were corrected - the operators entered correct data. 3.7 million SIM cards issued with violations were blocked or their contracts were terminated, most of them in the first half of this year.
In addition, the agency revealed that today 265 people have more than 1 thousand SIM cards each. In total, they own over 1.1 million mobile numbers.
In this context, more and more experts are speaking out in favor of tougher liability, including criminal liability, for sellers of "gray" mobile numbers. In addition, the issue of their distribution is also proposed to take into account the responsibility of mobile operators. When" gray " SIM cards are sold out of control or distributed for years, there can be no talk of any accidents and coincidences, experts are sure.
Given the current geopolitical situation, many experts agree that foreigners should not have easy access to Russian SIM cards. Each of those who express a desire to purchase a national mobile number of the Russian Federation should be identified by a wide range of characteristics. This is necessary for the safety of Russian citizens.
The rules will be stricter for foreign subscribers
Proposals to improve the Russian legislation in the sphere of SIM card turnover were expressed in the new draft law "On Amendments to the Federal Law "On Communications" and the Federal Law "On the Implementation of Identification and (or) Authentication of Individuals using Biometric Personal Data, on amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation and Recognition as invalid". force of certain provisions of legislative acts of the Russian Federation" (in terms of clarifying the specifics of providing communication services), which was submitted to the State Duma for consideration in early summer and has already been adopted by deputies in the first reading.
According to the explanatory note to the draft law, the amendments will help streamline the relationship between operators and subscribers, including foreign citizens, when providing mobile communication services. The proposed measures will also help prevent illegal actions on the part of subscribers.
The most important provisions of the draft law under consideration relate to the procedure for concluding contracts for the provision of mobile communication services with foreigners.
So, if the document is accepted and comes into force, the conclusion of a contract for the provision of mobile communication services with foreigners will be possible only if you visit the office or point of sale of telecom operators/dealers in person and pass identification and (or) authentication using the "Unified System for Identification and Authentication of Individuals using biometric personal Data".
The previous passport identification procedure will be preserved only for diplomats and equivalent persons and representatives of international organizations. It is expected that this will increase the degree of reliable identification of foreigners at the place of conclusion of the contract and ensure that the personal data of such subscribers is correctly linked to the issued subscriber numbers.
In contracts with foreigners, information about the identification code of the device used (IMEI) will also be entered without fail, that is, a foreigner will not be able to use the SIM card on another device that is not specified in the contract-if the card is rearranged, it will be blocked.
When entering into a contract with a subscriber who is a legal entity or sole proprietor, when the user of communication services is a foreigner, the contract will also need to specify information about their employment relationship with the subscriber who is a legal entity or sole proprietor, if the SIM card is used as a service card.
The draft law also provides that a foreign citizen or a stateless person may be allocated a total of no more than 10 subscriber numbers.
The initiators believe that all this will increase the degree of correct identification of foreign subscribers in the communication network.
The bill also addresses the issue of using those SIM cards that will already be in circulation by the time it comes into force. Thus, foreign subscribers who have concluded contracts for the provision of mobile radiotelephone services before the date of entry into force of the draft law will need to conclude new contracts taking into account the new requirements until March 1, 2025.
In case of non-fulfillment of the relevant requirements, the operator will be obliged to stop providing communication services under the relevant contracts.
There will be fewer calls from scammers
The draft law also obliges the telecom operator to notify subscribers of all registered contracts for the provision of communication services prior to the start of providing services, with the possibility to suspend service to those numbers for which the subscriber did not actually enter into the contract.
Operators will send such notification to the subscriber via the Gosuslugi portal and via SMS messages. On the portal "Gosuslugi", as promised, there will be a new section "My SIM cards", in which all phone numbers issued on the passport data of a particular individual will be indicated.
Despite the fact that there were some minor comments on the draft law concerning legal techniques and the need for linguistic and stylistic correction of the draft text, conceptually the bill was met with a very positive reception by law enforcement agencies and the legal community.
Experts note that the planned tightening of the rules for selling SIM cards will not bring any negative consequences for law-abiding citizens who use their number exclusively for legal purposes - as a rule, Russians do not buy SIM cards so often that verification and other complications really cause them inconvenience.
At the same time, the bill can seriously complicate illegal access to mobile communication services, make some fraudulent schemes completely unrealizable, and reduce risks to people and national security.
If the bill is passed, then everyone who has a mobile phone will be able to assess how effective the new regulation will be in practice – for example, much will become clear from the reduced number of calls from fake banks, fake policemen and pseudo-FSB employees, and other phone scammers.
Expert opinions:
Rifat Sabitov, Chairman of the Commission for the Development of the Information Community, Mass Media and Mass Communications of the RF CC, Deputy General Director - Head of the Regional Department of VGTRK:
"The need to restore order in the SIM card market in order to stop the spread of dangerous and malicious content, fraud using so-called "gray sim cards", numbers without an identified owner, is quite obvious and long overdue. Each of us, sometimes as many times a day, becomes the object of an aggressive attack from such numbers: calls, newsletters in instant messengers, which are impossible to get rid of. The order of turnover of SIM cards should be transparent and clear. You need to verify the subscriber, you need to verify the data of users of already issued SIM cards, which is what mobile operators are actively engaged in right now.
For Russians, when applying for a SIM card, the presence of a passport remains sufficient, the bill also provides for the obligation of mobile operators to post information about the registered numbers of a citizen on the Public Services portal. This will allow us to control for ourselves what contracts with mobile operators we have concluded, if any, and use.
A more stringent procedure is provided for foreign citizens who want to purchase a Russian SIM card. Here you already need biometric data and identification of the device on which the card will be used. Additionally, the number of mobile numbers assigned to one person is limited. And this is correct, retailers of mobile communication services are focused on Russian passports, it is problematic for them to verify various forms of foreign documents, and additional security measures are needed.
In this regard, I believe the draft law is relevant. We will evaluate how much the mobile communication environment will be cleansed and spam and illegal content will be reduced if it is adopted and comes into force. It is likely that it will also be advisable for Russian users to introduce more stringent requirements for issuing SIM cards.
As for the measures of liability for trading in gray SIM cards, which is obviously illegal, it should be consistent with the harm caused. Therefore, I think we can also talk about criminal liability."
Alexander Malkevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Commission for the Development of the Information Community, Mass Media and Mass Communications of the RF CC, Co-Chairman of the Coordination Council for the Integration of New Subjects of Russia under the RF CC:
"Any anonymity plays into the hands of criminal elements. The same applies to "gray" SIM cards, which are a significant threat to the security of our citizens and our country. The opportunity to purchase a "gray" SIM card issued to a front person is a great expanse for scammers, terrorists and Ukrainian special services. And you need to understand that demand creates supply. As we know, the vast majority of anonymous calls from scammers come from the territory of Ukraine. Thus, anyone who wants to purchase a "gray" SIM card can be a potential enemy, or at least a criminal. This may sound harsh, but when it comes to the safety of people, it is simply impossible to do otherwise.
When developing such measures, it is necessary to take into account the interests of law – abiding citizens-they should not suffer from what is originally intended for criminals. The new draft law contains prerequisites for solving such problems – verification through the Gosuslugi portal. Also, of course, do not forget about the separate rules for the turnover of SIM cards for foreigners-limiting the number of cards and selling only after registration in the Unified Biometric System. It is worth noting that many other countries have certain measures to control the use of SIM cards by foreigners, and they also appeared not just out of the blue.
There is another category of citizens who seem to be in the middle – they use "gray" SIM cards, but for domestic purposes. For example, to get a discount for the first order on the marketplace. They need to be informed that their "everyday" actions stimulate the supply of such cards on the market, which is then used by criminal elements and representatives of unfriendly countries. In addition, you need to understand that such SIM cards are registered to a fake individual or legal entity, that is, to fraudsters. Therefore, if a person starts using a "gray" SIM card, accessing, for example, social networks, instant messengers, banking applications, their personal data and money will fall into the hands of intruders.
You may get the impression that I believe that the users are solely to blame for this whole situation. In no case – in the issue of distribution of "gray" SIM cards, a significant share of responsibility lies with operators. Of course, by one chance or another, several "gray" SIM cards can actually get on the market-everyone sometimes makes mistakes. But when "gray" SIM cards are sold out of control or distributed for years, there can be no talk of any accidents and coincidences. It's more like aiding and abetting.
The draft law continues to be considered in the State Duma of the Russian Federation and, in my opinion, it could provide for additional measures of responsibility. For example, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Artem Kiryanov announced an interesting additional measure in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation: there should be a legally prescribed mechanism for forcibly blocking calls from suspicious numbers and SIM cards.
Regarding criminal liability for the implementation of "gray" SIM-cards. Perhaps such a measure is appropriate for the individual who does this. A simple fine is not enough – if such a person is a member of a criminal group, friends will easily help pay it off, and after a while they can be seen again near the metro entrance with a pack of SIM cards. If we are talking about liability for the operator, I think that a turnover fine is quite appropriate at least, given the consequences of the distribution of such cards.
Identification of the SIM card user is an important step towards the security of each individual citizen of our country. If he is law-abiding, he has absolutely nothing to fear. And let's hope that he will not have any unnecessary inconveniences either. Fraudsters, on the contrary, will seriously complicate their lives, or even make the use of such SIM cards impossible. This is the case when anonymity does not bring any benefits, but only harms those who live honestly and follow the laws of their country."
Artem Kiryanov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy:
"Recently, a draft law was submitted to the State Duma, the authors of which were Vasily Piskarev, Chairman of the Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption, and Anton Gorelkin, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications. According to this bill, the "My SIM-cards" section should appear on "Gosuslugi", so that the user can see which numbers are issued for his passport data, and can stop servicing unused ones.
Foreign citizens are under special suspicion in the conditions of SVO, so the draft law also provides for the introduction of special requirements for them.
In general, it is necessary to convey to the Russians the danger of "gray" SIM cards. They can be registered to a fake individual or legal entity, that is, to fraudsters. Therefore, if a person starts using such a "gray" SIM card, accessing social networks, instant messengers, banking applications, their personal data and money will fall into the hands of intruders. "Gray" SIM cards are one of the key components of many fraudulent schemes, so eliminating their illegal distribution will be a serious obstacle to criminal activity.
It should be borne in mind that "gray" SIM cards are also attractive to a certain extent for ordinary Russians, not scammers who use them for utilitarian purposes. For example, they leave a "gray" number in various applications and when issuing loyalty cards, so as not to encounter SMS spam on the main number later. The desire to protect your main number can be understood, but a" gray " SIM card is not needed for this, it is enough to issue a second number in your own name and use it in a similar way.
The active use of "gray" SIM cards by ordinary citizens only fuels the demand for this service and "inflates" the market, which contributes to the growth of crimes. The authorities, including law enforcement agencies, are forced to deal with the consequences of such negligence. People's personal data is actually "digital oil" by value. Personal data leakage is primarily a blow to the security of citizens. The least that can threaten victims of such incidents is receiving spam calls and messages. Otherwise, Russians may face the real scammers and extortionists themselves and suffer financial losses.
Another" risk zone "for users' personal data today is VPN services. Apps have never been caught being negligent about users ' personal data. In addition, it is not uncommon for databases of such services to be merged into the darknet or sold to third parties. Today, in addition to everything else, VPNs have become a powerful tool for attackers, with which they can cause a lot of problems to users. Starting from spam mailings and ending with serious extortion scams.
I think that it is still not necessary to introduce criminal liability, that is, a special composition in the Criminal Code for SIM cards, because a number of actions with SIM cards already fall under the Criminal Code. I also see an opportunity to refer to the article about fraud.
As for administrative responsibility, of course, it should be significantly higher than today. In other words, it may be necessary to review the responsibility for illegal turnover of SIM cards under the Code of Administrative Offenses. Accordingly, liability should be provided for both individuals and legal entities."
Alexander Khinshtein, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications:
Under the pressure of the state, the "gray" market has changed — so, now the problem of holders of thousands of "sim cards"has come to the fore. According to Roskomnadzor statistics, more than a million mobile numbers are registered for a total of 256 people. How and who uses them is anyone's guess.
Back in late 2020, we gave Roskomnadzor the ability to block "gray" SIM cards, when amendments to the law "On Communications"were adopted. Since then, operators are required to check in the ESIA portal of Public Services information entered by legal entities and sole proprietors who are corporate subscribers, and about individuals. Thanks to this, the regulator conducts comprehensive work to identify and block dubious "SIM cards" — from 2024, those SIM cards whose users cannot confirm their data simply stop working.
