RIA Novosti

Bank Transfer Comments Such as 'Bribe' or 'To the Common Pot' Risk Triggering Compliance Reviews

Lawyer Meri Valishvili warned that casual or joking comments added to bank transfers can prompt automated compliance checks and account restrictions. Systems scan payment descriptions for terms like 'bribe', 'kickback', or 'to the common pot' without assessing humorous intent. No single public list of flagged phrases exists, as each bank independently configures its monitoring algorithms. Even routine descriptions such as 'for manicure' or 'utilities payment' may raise flags when combined with regular amounts or recurring patterns. Valishvili advises private individuals to omit unnecessary comments and to reference specific contract numbers and dates when a transfer has legal significance. For group collections, she recommends using bank-provided tools that clearly state the purpose of the payment.

Scammers Impersonate Social Fund to Threaten Child Benefit Cancellation and Steal Savings

Fraudsters have launched a new social engineering campaign targeting parents by impersonating officials from Russia's Social Fund. Callers claim that suspicious transfers have been detected on family accounts and threaten the cancellation of child benefits unless savings are moved to a special transit account. The scheme relies on fabricated rules about income assessment and uses the promise of an 'unreported' account to trick victims into sending money. The Narodny Front's Moshelovka platform, cited by RIA Novosti, confirms that the Social Fund never requests transfers to third-party accounts for benefit verification. Families are instructed to check official notifications exclusively through Gosuslugi or by visiting an SFR office in person. Authentication codes from government services or banking apps must never be shared over the phone.

Rospotrebnadzor Introduces Age-Based Screen Time Limits for Russian School Students

Russia's consumer protection agency Rospotrebnadzor has established recommended maximum durations for schoolchildren working with computers and interactive whiteboards during lessons. The limits vary by grade, ranging from 20 minutes for first and second graders up to 35 minutes for students in grades 10 and 11. Separate rules apply to interactive boards, capping usage at 20 minutes for children under 10 and 30 minutes for older students. Schools must ensure students perform eye exercises when electronic devices are used, while traditional paper-based classes require such exercises only during breaks. Starting September 1 2026, a nationwide ban on mobile phones during lessons will also take effect, with individual schools deciding rules for recess periods.

Wildberries and Ozon to Accept Digital Rubles from September 1, 2026

Major Russian marketplaces Wildberries and Ozon will begin accepting digital rubles for purchases starting September 1, 2026. Ozon plans to introduce the new payment option first in a testing phase alongside bank cards and other methods before gradually rolling it out to all customers. Wildberries confirmed it will comply with requirements from the Bank of Russia and existing regulations without providing further details. From the same date, major banks must enable clients to open digital wallets, transfer funds, and pay for goods through their regular banking apps connected to the Central Bank platform. Operations with digital rubles will remain free for citizens. The rollout is mandatory for large merchants with annual revenue exceeding 120 million rubles that are served by major banks, with smaller businesses facing obligations in subsequent years based on revenue thresholds.

Russian Interior Ministry Advises Citizens Against Posting Personal Dossiers on Social Media

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has issued a public warning urging citizens to reduce the amount of personal information shared on social networks. Details such as places of study and work, home addresses, and family information should remain outside public profiles to avoid attracting the attention of fraudsters and recruiters. According to materials cited by RIA Novosti, such digital self-portraits allow malicious actors to study potential victims, identify vulnerabilities, and craft personalized communication scenarios. The ministry also recommends avoiding public discussions of personal views and refraining from answering questions from strangers. Users are advised to verify profile ownership before engaging and to block suspicious accounts while reporting them to platform moderators. This marks the second such advisory from the ministry within recent months, following an October 2025 reminder about the risks of exposing full names, birth dates, and other identifiable data.