The National Bank Identified the Three Most Successful Fraud Schemes in Belarus
The most dangerous fraud scheme in Belarus, in terms of financial losses incurred by citizens, is the "declaration of funds and participation in a special operation." It accounts for 53% of the total losses in 2025, or about 29 million rubles. Andrei Kartun, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the National Bank, spoke about this in the latest issue of "Bankauski Vesnik" ("Banking Herald"), writes Office Life.
Illustrative photo. Photo: freepik.com
Typically, in this scenario, fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officers and claim that the person is under investigation for involvement in suspicious activities. They threaten a search and demand that all available cash be "declared" by transferring it to a "safe" account.
In second place by the amount of losses incurred (22%, or almost 12 million rubles) is "investment" fraud. In this case, victims are offered profitable investments in shares of Belarusian and foreign companies or cryptocurrency.
Rounding out the top 3 is the simplest scheme – the sale of non-existent goods and services (17% of total losses, or more than 9 million rubles). A characteristic of this fraud is significantly lower prices compared to the market average.
According to the National Bank, 32% of the funds successfully extracted from citizens are transferred abroad via cashless payments by criminals, 28% are channeled through cryptocurrency platforms and casinos, 21.5% are converted into cash in Belarus and abroad, and 12.7% are spent on goods and services within the country.
Earlier, the Banking Processing Center reported that in 2025, the number of successful fraudulent operations in Belarus increased by 27%. The average amount of losses, meanwhile, increased from $82 to $385.