The Internet is full of scammers who use “virtual identities” to deceive people. For example, men are often scammed using fake pages of girls, convincing them to make an advance payment for intimate services or send money “for the trip.”
It can be difficult to guess that the online interlocutor does not actually exist. After all, he has several completed pages on social networks, a phone number that is answered by a female voice, and a scan of his passport. It is available upon request from particularly vigilant victims.
But it’s all very easy to get. After all, there is a whole industry for creating “virtual personalities”. It serves the needs of scammers, debt collectors, private detectives and people in other romantic professions.
This article will talk about how it is done, what it is used for and how much equipment for online deception costs : scans of documents, fake profiles on social networks, fraudulent numbers and electronic wallets. The purpose of writing this material is to clearly show readers how easy it is to create/purchase tools for fraud.
Passport scans
What are they used for? For registration wherever a scan of your passport is required. For example, in payment systems, online casinos, trading platforms, Forex exchanges. To purchase domains and imitate a real identity in fraudulent transactions.
Approximate price order.
- $1 for a black and white copy of the first page.
- $3 for a color scan with registration.
- $7-$10 for a photo with a passport in hand + scans of other documents.
It's so cheap because one document can be sold an unlimited number of times. In addition, scans of other people’s passports and photos of the owners holding them in their hands are very easy to obtain.
How they go on sale. A search for the word “passport” on vk.com/docs clearly shows that many people themselves post them on the Internet. Regular browsing of social networks, file hosting sites and new images in Google search results gives scammers a good harvest.
There are also various schemes where people are deceived into sending scans of their passports. For example, a “playful girl,” aka ninth-grader Fedor from Ishimbay, writes to a man on a dating site: “Come and visit me right now, but first send me a scan of your passport so that I can trust you” or “You have been hired as a content manager, payment 10 thousand per day, send documents for registration to the state.”
Of course, you can simply draw a scan of your passport. About 10 years ago they made a special program for this, RF SCreater. If you enter the data of a real person into a fake document, it will be checked against the database.
Legality. If the fact of registering a domain/account in an online casino with a fake passport is revealed, the service will block you and other users who used the same scan. If your document is used for fraud and a criminal case is opened, you may have to prove in court that you are not involved in the crime.
What methods do scammers offer to get a second passport?
Fraudsters offer to become a citizen of another country quickly and bypassing the law. Most often they promise to issue a passport from Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Greece. If the standard citizenship procedure takes months or years, scammers ensure that their client receives the status in just a few months.
Fraudsters hint at connections with influential people, promise to bribe officials or falsify records in archives. These methods do not work and can cause big trouble.
States are tightening the rules and every year they are monitoring the procedure for obtaining citizenship more and more carefully. For example, in 2022, 370 criminal cases were opened in Hungary due to falsification of documents when applying for citizenship.
Typically, scammers use one of three schemes: identity falsification, non-existent relatives, or a fictitious marriage. Let's figure out why they are dangerous.
The website of the Slovenian Embassy in Moscow warns of increasing cases of fraud
Identity falsification. The company finds local residents who are willing to “sell their identity.” A fake person submits documents to obtain a passport. But the company’s client comes instead to submit biometrics or fingerprints. He also submits his photographs.
The deception is revealed during verification or when a person begins to use the document. This leads to administrative or criminal liability.
Through fictitious relatives. In some countries, it is possible to obtain citizenship using a simplified scheme - for this you need to prove that the applicant or his immediate relatives were born in the country. This is a legitimate method that scammers are trying to use.
The client is promised to “find” his Romanian or Bulgarian roots. After the money has been deposited and the process of collecting documents has begun, the “lawyers” stop communicating.
Sometimes foreigners are immediately asked to falsify a birth certificate in order to confirm non-existent family ties with a citizen of the country. This method is unreliable: all documents are thoroughly checked, and fake certificates and certificates are not difficult to identify.
The consequences for clients of such companies are serious: deportation from the country, a ban on visiting EU countries, fines and criminal liability.
Fictitious marriage.
Each country has its own procedure for obtaining a passport for those who marry its citizen. Most often, it will not be possible to obtain citizenship immediately: you will need to live together in the country for one to several years, pass an exam on your knowledge of language and history, and confirm integration into society.
Passport through a fictitious marriage and other myths about EU citizenship
For example, to apply for citizenship in Germany, you will need to have been married for three years. Officials check whether the spouses really live together and lead a common life. If the deception is discovered, the marriage is annulled and the offender may be deported from the country.
In most cases, workarounds to citizenship lead to loss of time and money, and in the worst case, to criminal liability and loss of the opportunity to come to the European Union. For example, in Romania, forgery of documents can result in up to three years in prison.
10 popular myths about EU citizenship debunked
How to get to the USA and the European Union without visas with a Russian passport?
No way. But with a residence permit and second citizenship - no visas or problems. Subscribe to our newsletter with trusted industry news.
Social network profiles
What are they used for? Advertising, sending spam, getting followers and likes, imitating a real person during fraud.
Approximate price order.
- 2-20 rubles - automatically registered and completed profiles whose friends are the same clumsy fakes.
- 50-3000 rubles - accounts of living people who were not careful with their passwords or voluntarily decided to sell the account. The price, first of all, depends on the number and quality of friends (gender, age, city, percentage of bots) and the age of the account. Sometimes a beautiful page ID makes the price higher. For example, 4-digit for VKontakte pages.
- From 3,000 rubles and above - accounts that have more than 10 thousand friends/subscribers, as well as administrator accounts of popular groups and communities.
How they go on sale. They are automatically registered using bots, stolen from owners using phishing links and keyloggers, restored after blocking to a new SIM card (the so-called “recovery”), manually created and promoted for subsequent sale. You can buy accounts of all popular social networks. People all over the world are engaged in this business.
Legality of the transaction. The rules of social networks prohibit the sale of accounts. Theoretically, violation threatens with a profile ban.
Where in Europe you can get a residence permit by investment
| A country | Amount of investment | Deadlines |
| Austria | From 100,000 € | 3 months |
| Portugal | From 250,000 € | 2-6 months |
| Spain | From 500,000 € | 2-3 months |
| Greece | From 250,000 € | 3 months |
| Great Britain | From 2,000,000 € | 2-3 months |
After receiving a residence permit, the applicant can apply for permanent residence and then citizenship. The terms and conditions for submitting documents for permanent residence and citizenship depend on the specific country. For example, in Portugal and Austria you can apply for permanent residence after 5 years of living in a country with a residence permit.
A second passport opens up the opportunity to travel to EU countries without a visa
A second passport allows you to freely travel around Schengen countries, take your business to the international stage, study at European universities and move to live in a country with a warm climate.
Applying for a second passport on the black market can lead to fines, a ban on entry into the European Union and even criminal liability.
You can obtain a second passport in the European Union and the Caribbean in legal ways - by going through the naturalization process from residence permit to citizenship or by participating in investment programs.
Immigrant Invest is a licensed agent of government programs of the European Union and the Caribbean. We will help you choose the right program for obtaining a second passport.
Sign up for an online consultation
Sim cards
What are they used for? For automatic registration in social networks and payment systems (the first picture shows a device assembled for these purposes), to imitate a real person in case of fraud. Beautiful rooms and rooms with favorable rates are used more often for ordinary human needs.
Approximate price order.
- 5-10 rubles apiece - simple sim cards (often registered to a fraudulent company). Sold in large packages (picture No. 2).
- 500-3000 rubles - SIM cards with especially favorable corporate rates or those that were sold in limited quantities.
- 5000-300,000 rubles - SIM cards with beautiful combinations of numbers. The so-called “silver”, “gold” and “platinum” numbers.
How they go on sale. People on the forums claim that they are sold by enterprising employees of mobile phone stores. Sim cards are also brought from Ukraine, where they are sold freely.
Legality. Selling SIM cards without a passport is prohibited in Russia. Sellers face a fine of 5,000 rubles for individuals, and 200 thousand for legal entities.
The most popular investment programs in the Caribbean and Vanuatu
| A country | Amount of investment | Deadline for obtaining a passport | Who can obtain citizenship |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | From $150,000 | 2-6 months | Spouses, children under 30, brothers and sisters under 30, parents |
| Grenada | From $150,000 | 4-6 months | Spouses, children under 30, brothers and sisters under 18, parents |
| Saint Lucia | From $100,000 | 3-4 months | Spouses, children under 30, brothers and sisters under 18, parents |
| Antigua and Barbuda | From $100,000 | 3-6 months | Spouses, children under 30, brothers and sisters, parents |
| Dominica | From $100,000 | 2-6 months | Spouses, children under 30, brothers and sisters under 25, parents |
| Vanuatu | From $130,000 | 1-2 months | Spouses, children under 25, parents over 50 years old |
In most cases, to obtain citizenship of a Caribbean country, you do not need to live there permanently - this means that you do not have to move. But you can travel freely and come to the country at any time.
All citizenship documents can be submitted online; you do not need to come to the country in person.
Comparison of second citizenship by investment programs
Compare programs
Second passport in the European Union.
In most EU countries, you will not be able to make an investment and immediately become a citizen. First, you can get a “golden visa” - a residence permit for investors. It is easier for an investor to obtain this status than a standard residence permit - in most cases it is faster and does not require permanent residence in the country.
Residence permit in Europe: conditions, terms and costs of obtaining
The time frame for obtaining a residence permit in the European Union and the amount of investment depend on the conditions of a particular country.
Electronic wallets
What are they used for? To cash out and accept payments from victims when carrying out fraudulent schemes.
Approximate order of prices.
- 10-30 rubles for a simple automatically registered QIWI wallet.
- 1000-3000 rubles for a WebMoney account with the “Initial” certificate or a QIWI wallet with the “Maximum” status or a Yandex.Money account with the “Identified” status.
- $120 (14,000 rubles) for a fully verified American PayPal account.
How they go on sale. They are automatically registered on the wrong SIM cards, and the user data is confirmed by fake scans of documents.
Legality. The rules of payment systems prohibit transferring your wallets to third parties. For violation, ban without refund. Depending on the situation, users of such wallets may be punished for fraud or tax evasion.
What is a coronavirus vaccination certificate?
Since January 2022, certificates of preventive vaccination against COVID-19 have been issued in Russia.
Electronic document. Anyone who has received the vaccine can receive it. The certificate states:
- last name, first name, patronymic, date of birth of the person who administered the vaccine;
- date and place of vaccination;
- name of the drug;
- QR code.
The QR code leads to an electronic document linked to State Services.
There is also a paper document with a similar name - “Certificate of Vaccination against Novel Coronavirus Infection (COVID-19).” It is given to Muscovites after the first vaccination, along with a reminder. In this certificate, doctors indicate the dates of vaccination and put stamps; there is no QR code in it.
Why do you need a coronavirus vaccination certificate?
The electronic certificate only confirms the fact of vaccination against the new coronavirus infection, the Ministry of Health told the Russian newspaper. Its presence does not even exempt you from the obligation to wear a mask in public places. Now the department is deciding where and for what purpose this document can be used.
However, some employers have already come up with their own use for the certificate. They require workers to get vaccinated and bring a document to prove it.
Read on topic: Can you be fired for refusing to vaccinate?
How to obtain an electronic vaccination certificate
Only those who have been vaccinated against coronavirus can receive an electronic vaccination certificate. The document is generated automatically on the State Services portal.
Here are detailed instructions on how to obtain a certificate - you need to undergo a two-component vaccination against COVID-19, that is, a person needs to receive two injections to protect against the virus:
1. Get your first coronavirus vaccine. You can sign up online.
2. Fill out the vaccination diary at State Services. It will appear after the first vaccination.
3. Wait for a notification from the State Services with information about the second vaccination, get it.
4. Open a COVID-19 vaccination diary on State Services. There will be a document with information about where, when and what vaccination the person received (this is an electronic certificate).
The certificate is protected from counterfeiting. Anyone, including an employer, can read a QR code and check its authenticity.
Read on topic: Instructions: how to get vaccinated against COVID-19
What are the risks of buying a fake certificate?
A person who knew that he was buying a fake document would face restriction of freedom for up to one year, forced labor for up to one year, or imprisonment for up to one year.
More lenient liability is provided for those who bought an official document with valid stamps, but from fraudsters. In this case, the violator will face a fine of up to 80 thousand rubles or the amount of his salary for a period of up to six months, correctional labor for up to one year, or arrest for up to three months.
Vaccination Certificate Fraud
Some sites offer to issue a fake coronavirus vaccination certificate for 1.5–3 thousand rubles.
There are also scammers who claim that this document will soon become mandatory. They urge you to purchase “coronavirus passports” as soon as possible: supposedly it will be more expensive later. As a result, the client either does not receive anything or is sent a fake, writes Kommersant.
You cannot use such documents, warns legal representative Kirill Gavrilichev. Both the buyer and its manufacturer will be responsible for the counterfeit. Whether a document is paper or electronic does not matter to the Criminal Code.
Genuine certificates are always free, warn the State Services. They emphasize that counterfeits are easy to detect: they will not pass the QR code check on the portal.
