Hundreds of Belarusians registered bank cards in their name to sell them to Russian fraudsters
In the autumn of last year, Smolensk law enforcement officers tracked down a member of a telephone fraud group. A package addressed to a 26-year-old man arrived with a large number of bank cards. The 151 bank cards and SIM cards contained in the package were replaced with dummies, and an ambush was set. When the recipient came for the package, he was detained with evidence of the crime, reports the Prosecutor's Office of the Smolensk region of Russia.
During a search of the apartment, another 520 electronic payment instruments and access devices were found. Remote banking service systems were already connected to them. The young man acquired all of these from August to October 2025 and intended to transfer them to third parties for money.
The peculiarity of this story is that all bank cards were registered in the names of Belarusian citizens. They were so-called drops — people who usually register bank cards in their own names for a reward, to then hand them over to fraudsters. Thus, hundreds of Belarusians became accomplices to Russian criminals.
The young man detained in Smolensk was not an ordinary member of the group. According to the press service of the Smolensk region Prosecutor's Office, he was assigned the role of "controller". His duties included receiving money, interacting with so-called "drop drivers" via messengers and during personal meetings, payment, checking the functionality of bank cards, and preparing them for further shipment.
As a result, the "controller" was charged with illegal acquisition of electronic payment instruments and access to them. He faces up to six years in prison and a substantial fine.
As for Belarusians who sold their bank cards, there are also legal grounds to bring them to administrative responsibility — a fine of up to 30 basic units. And if fraudsters transferred money through their cards, criminal liability may also ensue — from a fine to six years of imprisonment.
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