The Central Bank of Russia reported identifying more than 4,000 fraudulent and illegal schemes in the first half of 2025, a 20% increase from the first half of 2024, with most cases linked to fake investment offers. It found 2,300 online Ponzi schemes and noted that while the number of financial pyramids rose 1.4 times year on year, their operating lifespans have shortened as detection has become faster. Over 88% of detected financial pyramids and illegal brokers offered clients investments in fake investment schemes. The number of illegal lenders fell by more than half to over 460 entities, while almost 1,400 fake brokers were identified; scammers were also observed running multiple related schemes under different brands to avoid website blocking. Between January and June, the central bank initiated the blocking of 11,000 online resources linked to scammers, with around half of these sites sharing similar structures; based on the central bank’s information, law enforcement opened more than 200 administrative cases for illegal provision of consumer loans and took more than 300 other response measures.
Central Bank of Russia 2025-08-05
Central Bank of Russia detects over 4,000 fraudulent and illegal schemes in 2025 H1 and initiates blocking of 11,000 scam resources
The Central Bank of Russia identified over 4,000 fraudulent schemes in H1 2025, a 20% increase from H1 2024, primarily involving fake investment offers. It detected 2,300 online Ponzi schemes and noted a rise in financial pyramids, though their lifespans have shortened due to faster detection. The bank blocked 11,000 scam-related online resources and reported over 200 administrative cases for illegal consumer loans.