Roskomnadzor began to sue telecom operators for refusing to connect to Antifrod

National Anti-Fraud Platform

Main article: National Anti-Fraud Platform

2024

Roskomnadzor began to sue telecom operators for refusing to connect to Antifrod

In August 2024, it became known that Roskomnadzor began to fine and sue telecom operators who have not yet connected to the Antifrod system. The first public cases of such measures were recorded in St. Petersburg.

Roskomnadzor drew up protocols for 87 operators who did not connect to Antifrod, and the judicial authorities imposed fines on them totaling more than ₽16 million. Among the fined were St. Petersburg ST Telecom LLC, Global Networks LLC and Westcall LLC.

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The prosecutor's office of St. Petersburg sent a lawsuit against ST Telecom LLC to the arbitration court due to the fact that the company did not connect to the Antifrod system. According to Alexander Kalinichenko, general director and sole owner of ST Telecom LLC, the company is actually no longer operating, and therefore has not connected to Antifrod.

As the general director of the Association of Telephone Operators Sergei Efimov noted, the current situation will force small operators to leave the Russian telecom market, since it is too expensive for them to connect to Antifrod. According to Efimov, state structures should allocate funds from the reserve of universal service on a return basis to help such operators avoid fines.

The Main Radio Frequency Center (GRCC), subordinate to Roskomnadzor, launched the Antifrod system to help telecom operators timely identify and stop voice calls from replacement numbers in traditional telephone networks. According to Roskomnadzor, 1,155 operators out of 1,190 operating in Russia joined the Antifrod system as of August 2024. They account for 99.5% of the total number capacity in the country.^[1]

Roskomnadzor began to block calls from operators not connected to Antifrod

Roskomnadzor initiated the blocking of calls from telecom operators who are not connected to the Antifrod system. This became known on June 24, 2024. Now subscribers of such companies will not be able to reach other users. This measure is aimed at combating fraudulent calls and protecting citizens from replacement numbers.

According to RBC, FSUE "Main Radio Frequency Center" (GRCC) sent a notification to telecom operators with methodological recommendations on the ban on skipping calls from phone numbers not loaded into the Antifrod system. As noted by the general director of TeleStor Nikita Kapitansky, operators formally have 120 days to fulfill this requirement, but some have already begun implementing the recommendations. In particular, the country's largest mobile operators complied with this prescription ahead of schedule.

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According to a representative of Roskomnadzor, measures to block calls are necessary to protect citizens from fraudsters and ransomware. Verification of calls through the Antifrod system allows you to identify calls from replacement numbers, which reduces the number of fraudulent actions. At the moment, more than 95% of operators are already connected to this system, covering 97.48% of the total number capacity.

Some operators, such as Gazprom Telecom, expressed dissatisfaction with the new rules, noting the difficulties in the rapid implementation of the Antifrod system. A spokesman said the blockages were causing problems with customer phone calls. He stressed that the full implementation of the system takes time, especially in terms of fixed communications, which has not yet been integrated with Antifrod.

Other operators, including MTS"" and MegaFon"" T2 RTK Holding(brand), Tele2 confirmed the receipt of methodological recommendations and compliance with the requirements of the GRCC. T2 RTK Holding noted that the decision to block was caused by delays in connecting to the Antifrod system and an increase in cases of fraudulent traffic. Despite possible problems for subscribers of operators subject to restrictions, protecting customers from fraudsters remains a priority.^[2]

GRCC ordered technical support for the Antifrod system for tens of millions of rubles

In mid-June 2024, FSUE Main Radio Frequency Center (GRCC) entered into an agreement for the provision of technical support services for the Antifrod system. The contract value is 35.97 million rubles.

We are talking about technical support of the "information system for ensuring that telecom operators comply with the requirements for the provision of communication services and traffic transit services in a public communication network." Services must be provided within eight months. At the same time, the contractor will receive monthly payment in the amount of 4,496,502,5 rubles. Thus, the total value of the contract is 35,972,020 rubles.

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In accordance with the customer's requirements, work on incidents of the first (critical) priority to restore the functionality of the Antifrod system by applying a temporary solution is carried out daily for 12 hours (from 8:00 to 20:00 Moscow time). The elimination of less serious problems is carried out on working days - from 08:00 to 17:00 Moscow time.

The services provided, as noted, should not lead to a violation of the requirements and provisions of certificates, forms, technical specifications and requirements of the technical and operational documentation of solution providers used in the open source documentation. In addition, the services provided should not provoke the termination of the manufacturer's warranty for the hardware and software of the Antifrod system. The purchase is carried out from a single counterparty. The source of funding is budget funds.

It is noted that as of the beginning of March 2024, three quarters of Russian telecom operators (904 out of 1183) connected to the system for blocking calls from Antifrod replacement numbers. Their total number capacity is more than 94% of the total capacity of all domestic operators providing voice services.^[3]

Fraudulent traffic is less and less reaching subscribers

In the first 5 months of 2024, the number of daily fraudulent calls that directly reached subscribers averaged 20-30 thousand. In the same period of 2023, the average value reached 75 thousand. Such information was shared on June 14, 2024 in the press service of the State Duma deputy RFAnton Nemkin with reference to Kommersant. The decrease in the share of fraudulent traffic is directly related to the work of the Antifrod platform, which Roskomnadzor launched in 2022, Anton Nemkin is sure. Read more here.

Plans for using the system to monitor calls in instant messengers

On April 22, 2024, it became known that the functionality of the Russian Antifrod system, designed to combat telephone fraud, will be expanded. This platform is planned to be used to monitor and block calls in various instant messengers, including Telegram.

The further development of the Antifrod service, according to the Kommersant newspaper, is stated in the passport of the federal project Information Security, which is part of the national program Data Economics, calculated until 2030. The initial goal of creating the system, launched in December 2022 by the "Main Radio Frequency Center" (which is a subordinate structure of Roskomnadzor), was to block fraudulent calls from replacement numbers. At the next stage, which is planned to be implemented by 2029, it will be possible to track "incidents in popular messengers." We are talking about Telegram and Viber, as well as WhatsApp (owned by Meta, which is recognized as an extremist organization; activities on the territory of the Russian Federation are prohibited).

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In April 2023, the head of the Ministry of Digital Science Maksut Shadayev stated that 70-80% of fraudulent calls go through WhatsApp. In order to solve the problem on the Antifrod platform, it is planned to deploy a special verification node to block outgoing calls from the unallocated number capacity between operators. The system will also be able to block calls from numbers with codes 8 800 and 900. The fact is that numbers with code 900 are often used, for example, for fraudulent calls to Viber.

The head of the investigation department T.Hunter , Igor Bederov, emphasizes that in accordance with the Yarovaya package, information about the phone number tied to an account in foreign messengers, when making calls, enters the operator's billing system. This information will be reviewed for fraudulent activity. However, identifying unwanted calls in instant messengers can be difficult due to the fact that "such traffic is encrypted and goes inside data channels." That is, the operators "are not able to unambiguously distinguish calls through messengers from downloading pictures, videos and messages." "^[4]

Connecting more than a thousand telecom operators

More than a thousand domestic operators communications have already connected to the anti-Antifrod system Roskomnadzor , the telephone fraud deputy's press service said State Duma of the Russian Federation Anton Nemkin , according to the director of the department of state regulation of the telecommunications market. Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation Dmitry Tura

A number of legislative initiatives were adopted, including in terms of combating telephone fraud. There is an Antifrod system, which is implemented by Roskomnadzor. All telecom operators are connected to it. As of April 2024, there are already more than 1 thousand of them, "he said.

According to the representative of the department, the system has not yet worked in full force, but "in the near future it will happen." The tour stressed that Antifrod is already blocking about 2 million calls a day for April 2024.

Substitution numbers are usually used by telephone scammers. This allows you to convince citizens that a representative of the bank or law enforcement agencies is really calling them. For example, there are cases when scammers called from "official" bank numbers. In addition, the use of substitution numbers and redirects complicates the process of finding fraudsters, - explained Anton Nemkin.

Since the end of 2022, the system has already blocked 5.4 billion fraudulent calls, despite the fact that it operated in test mode, Nemkin noted. In addition, Antifrod automatically collects information with which it is possible to identify attackers: for example, data on additional numbers that are used to forward connections and on communication networks that are involved in passing traffic. Of course, we will be able to fully assess the effectiveness of the platform only when all Russian telecom operators connect to it, but already now indirect factors make it possible to understand that Antifrod has become a real problem for fraudsters. For example, the share of phone calls through instant messengers is growing, where attackers also try to mimic official organizations.

A number of telecom operators and banking organizations already have their own anti-fraud systems that warn the user about possible danger. For example, MTS is developing an anti-fraud platform to combat social engineering, which continuously analyzes user actions and determines the risk of influence of third parties. This is a positive trend - business should introduce preventive measures to combat fraud in order to significantly reduce the number of fraudulent attacks in the future, the deputy emphasized.

Preventing 756.7m fraudulent calls

In 2023, the Antifrod system prevented more than 756 million calls to telephone fraudsters. This is evidenced by the data of the Main Radio Frequency Center (GRCC) subordinate to Roskomnadzor, which were published in mid-February 2024.

The number of blocking fraudulent calls could be higher if all telecom operators connected to Antifrod. Telecom companies must do this by the end of February 2024.

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As Kommersant writes with reference to the GKRCH report, in 2023, telecommunications companies legally verified information about more than 351.1 million numbers, which corresponds to 100% of their active subscriber base. It also follows from the materials of the center that in 2023 43 million rooms were identified, decorated with violations.

According to Roskomnadzor, the largest volume of fraudulent calls in 2023 was carried out through small telecom operators, mainly sending these calls in transit to subscribers of large operators. However, in mid-February 2024, the Kommersant newspaper reported that large mobile operators began to miss fraudulent calls more often than small companies. So, most of all fraudulent calls from January 1, 2024 passed through VimpelCom, MegaFon and MTS, and in a number of regions also through Tele2 and MTT.

As the publication was told in MegaFon, fraudsters continue to call both with the substitution of the number for the numbering of small operators not connected to Antifrod, and without substitution from SIM-cards of large operators. According to a Tele2 representative, as operators connect to Antifrod, the ability to change numbers is reduced and fraudsters begin to make calls through real subscriber numbers. And VimpelCom noted that fraudsters gain access to the subscriber's personal account and create several virtual numbers for fraudulent traffic.^[5]

More than half of telecom operators have joined the Antifrod state system

On February 6, 2024, Deputy Minister of Digital Development RFAlexander Shoitov said that more than 700 telecommunications operators, or more than half of the total number of such companies, were connected to the Antifrod system to combat fraudulent numbers.

As Vedomosti writes with reference to Shoitov's statement, all major mobile operators have introduced the functionality of blocking spam calls for subscribers by early February 2024. Antifrod controls 78% of the number capacity of telecom operators.

But after all telecom operators are connected to it, this system technically guarantees the impossibility of replacing the telephone number in our country, - said the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia.

The newspaper reminds that from March 2024, telecom operators in the Russian Federation will be fined for not connecting to the system and skipping calls from fraudulent numbers. By the beginning of February 2024, a number of operators are not prepared for new technical requirements, notes the author of the Telegram channel abloud62 Aleksei Boyko. According to the expert, such companies may have difficulties due to the lack of competent personnel to comply with technical regulations. In addition, small operators may need to purchase additional equipment, Boyko summarizes.

Small operators often connect to the system through intermediaries, since direct connection to the platform turns out to be expensive and long, and is also accompanied by technical difficulties with the transfer of data in the desired format, explains Dmitry Galushko, President of the Association of Small Operators of Russia. According to him, for not connecting to Antifrod, you can get a fine of up to 1 million rubles per legal entity, as well as lose your license. Small companies will be forced to comply with the requirements of Roskomnadzor or sell the telephone business, he added.^[6]

2023

The Roskomnadzor system blocked almost 2 billion calls from fraudsters in a year

The system of blocking calls from substitution numbers "Antifrod," created by Roskomnadzor, in 2023 blocked almost 2 billion calls from fraudsters. In December 2023, this figure was the largest for the entire time of its work. This was announced on January 19, 2023 by the press service of the State Duma deputy RFAnton Nemkin.

More than 120 million calls using number substitution technology were prevented in December 2023 by the Antifrod system. The indicator increased by 111% compared to November and became the largest system created by Roskomnadzor since December 2022, the TASS agency quotes.

In December, the number of calls checked by Antifrod also increased. In total, 12.2 billion calls were sent for verification, which is 1.7 billion more than in November.

The number of operators connected to the system is also growing: in December there were already 549 of 1.3 thousand working in Russia. The number capacity of operators working in January 2-024 with Antifrod is 79.98% of the total.

In total, operators are given 4 months to connect to the system after receiving a corresponding notification from the ILV, since this is a complex technological process. At the same time, many operators disrupt these terms despite the fact that this threatens administrative liability under Article 13.2.1 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation - a fine of up to 1 million rubles. According to the ministry, protocols for such a violation of the requirements have already been drawn up in relation to 210 operators. Ten operators have already been fined by the courts with a total amount of more than 4 million rubles.

Moreover, small operators often miss such calls in their network. So that all such calls are blocked in Russia, all operators will be added to the system in accordance with the law - and those who do not fulfill this requirement will not be able to work in Russia. The creation of "Antifrod" was essentially a response to the increasing incidence of fraud based on number substitution technology - most often it is used for deception or extortion. Attackers, for example, appear to be employees of banks, law enforcement agencies, government services, calling from a number that is not suspicious. Therefore, people often report their personal data, information about bank cards and accounts to false bankers or pseudo-policemen. The state cannot allow Russian operators to turn a blind eye to such open extortion of their funds from citizens, which is why the system was created. In January 2024, its test operation continues, but from March 2024 it will work in full force. And then, I hope, there will be many times fewer calls from fraudsters, - said the deputy.

Further, if the system confirms that the call is real and the number is not replaceable, a secure connection is established. Otherwise, the carrier must reject the call. Literally fractions of seconds are spent on all this, so the implementation of the system will definitely not affect the subscribers themselves, "the parliamentarian explained.

Roskomnadzor began to fine telecom operators millions of rubles for not connecting to the Antifrod system

Roskomnadzor began to fine telecom operators millions of rubles for not connecting to the Antifrod system. The department reported this in its Telegram channel at the end of December 2023.

To date, more than 180 operators have a deadline violation. The court has already considered the protocols in relation to four operators, they were fined a total of 2.1 million rubles. - said in a statement from Roskomnadzor.

Roskomnadzor began to fine telecom operators millions of rubles for not connecting to the Antifrod system

The service recalled that the operators face administrative liability under Art. 13.2.1 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation. The maximum punishment for it for legal entities is 1 million rubles.

The total number capacity of all operators who joined the system by the end of 2023 is 79.4%. 622 million calls with number substitution were prevented. During the year of operation, Antifrod checked 90 billion calls.

According to Kommersant, by the end of 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office, together with Roskomnadzor, are preparing an initiative to revoke licenses from telecom operators who miss fraudulent calls. This initiative "will make it possible to decisively suppress and prosecute unscrupulous operators," said Artem Sheikin, deputy chairman of the council for the development of the digital economy under the Federation Council.

In a conversation with the newspaper, Sheikin explained that the amendments imply an expansion of the list of grounds for canceling the license of operators by the licensing authority: "We are talking about the frequency and severity of violations."

As the newspaper notes, now telecom operators, for example, can be deprived of licenses for violating the traffic transmission scheme, the procedure for using frequencies and other conditions.

Irina Levova, director of strategic projects at the Institute for Internet Development, also calls the initiative redundant. When all operators connect to the Antifrod platform, the number of fraudulent calls will decrease significantly, she is sure.^[7]

Plan for the allocation of 3.7 billion rubles for the development of state systems "Antifrod" and "Antifishing"

The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation is going to invest about 25.2 billion rubles in the development of cybersecurity until 2030. Such data are given in the materials of the national project "Data Economics."

In particular, it is planned to allocate 3.7 billion rubles for the development of Antifrod state systems to counter fraudulent calls (the Main Radio Frequency Center subordinate to Roskomnadzor) and Antifishing to block fraudulent sites (the Ministry of Digital Development). Read more here.

"Antifrod" does not cope with the protection of telephone subscribers. Ministry of Digital Development and the Prosecutor General's Office took up the system

At the end of November 2023, it became known that the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation and the Prosecutor General's Office developed guidelines for holding telecom operators accountable for skipping calls from abroad with replaced telephone numbers. The fact is that as of the specified date, the Antifrod system, which must protect subscribers from such calls, cannot cope with its tasks.

The Antifrod platform, launched by Roskomnadzor in January 2023, is designed to combat telephone fraud. All Russian operators are obliged to connect to it by the end of February 2024: this will automatically block numbers in case of substitution. However, according to the Ministry of Digital Development, by November 2023, about 77.5% of the Russian numbering resource falls under verification, which is why some of the fraudulent calls are not blocked.

In this situation, prosecutors reportedly need to identify violations from operators manually. But it's a complicated procedure that comes with the risk of mistakes. Traffic usually travels through the chain of operators, and to identify the offender, the prosecutor must request information about the two participants in the process - who stood up the chain of connection, and whose network was the source of the call. Then you need to poll each of the operators along the chain - until the source of the number substitution is installed. If all companies declare that there is no substitution or one of them does not respond to the request, the prosecutor must demand that Roskomnadzor conduct an audit.

The Ministry of Digital Development guidelines also define a mechanism to determine whether a call came from a foreign network or not. In particular, a call pass to Russia with a number similar to Russian should not be considered a violation. For example, Vietnam has the country code "+ 84," which is similar to Russian numbering, such as "8 495." In addition, you should not focus only on the country code "+ 7," since the same code is used in Kazakhstan, Abkhazia and South^[8]

More than 200 telecom operators are connected to the system

More than 200 telecom operators connected to the system Roskomnadzor to block calls from Antifrod replacement numbers. This was announced on October 24, 2023 by the head of the department. Andrey Lipov According to him, until March 2024, all other companies providing telecommunications services should connect to this platform. Otherwise, operators will be fined.

According to the deputy head of Roskomnadzor Oleg Terlyakov, by October 2023, on average, the system processes more than 280 million calls per day. On average, up to 2 million calls with number substitution are prevented with its help per day.

More than 200 telecom operators connected to the Antifrod system

According to TASS, the Antifrod system should start working in full by March 2024, according to the Roskomnadzor plan, 2,464 Russian telecom operators should connect to it. As of the end of September 2023, the Antifrod system blocked 527 million calls from replacement numbers. Since December 2022, 69 billion calls have been sent for verification.

Roskomnadzor recalled that the largest volume of fraudulent calls in the Russian Federation by October 2023 is carried out through small telecom operators, mainly sending these calls in transit to subscribers of large operators. This problem can be solved only if all telecom operators connect to Antifrod. The Antifrod system checks whether the subscriber from whose number the call is made actually makes this call. Without confirmation, the attendant does not skip the call.

Earlier, Roskomnadzor announced that it would provide telecom operators with 224 days to connect to the Antifrod system after receiving a notification from the GRCC. The regulator clarified that during this time, telecom operators will need to rebuild the system, provide a secure data transmission channel and install the necessary software.^[9]

Roskomnadzor obliged all telecom operators to connect to the Antifrod system

On September 12, 2023, Roskomnadzor named the deadlines before which all telecommunications operators will have to connect to the departmental system for blocking calls from Antifrod replacement numbers. The company needs to do this by the end of February 2024. If telecom operators do not connect to the Antifrod system on time, they will receive administrative fines (CAO 13.2.1):

• from 50 thousand to 100 thousand rubles for officials,
• from 400 thousand to 800 thousand rubles for individual entrepreneurs,
• from 600 thousand to 1 million rubles for legal entities.

Roskomnadzor obliged all telecom operators to connect to the Antifrod system

FSUE "Main Radio Frequency Center" (GRCC), subordinate to Roskomnadzor, explained that you can connect to the system in one of the following ways:

• using the provided, software setting it up on your network;
• through the superior operator;
• develop software independently in accordance with the submitted technical requirements and specifications.

According to Roskomnadzor, in August 2023, the number of missed calls with number substitution increased by 13% compared to the previous month and amounted to 82.2 million. In total, 473.5 million calls with number substitution have been prevented since December 2022.

Substitution numbers are often used for illegal actions, such as deception or extortion. At the same time, the largest volume of fraudulent calls is carried out precisely through small telecom operators, mainly sending these calls in transit to subscribers of large telecom operators. The problem will be solved only when all telecom operators begin to verify calls by connecting to the system, Roskomnadzor said.

By September 2023, MegaFon, MTS and VimpelCom were connected to the unified verification platform for telephone calls Antifrod^[10]

System power doubling

At the end of June 2023, the Main Radio Frequency Center (GRCC), subordinate to Roskomnadzor, purchased IT equipment for the Antifrod system for a total of about 43.5 million rubles. Most of the amount (about 40 million rubles) fell on the purchase of 14 Aquarius servers T50 D212CF at 2.88 million rubles apiece. In addition, 40 Toshiba hard drives were purchased for 1.5 million rubles, 14 licenses of Astra Linux Special Edition OS for 1.4 million rubles and cable organizers for 107,800 rubles.

Vedomosti drew attention to this public procurement. As the representative of the GRCC explained to the publication, the equipment purchased will increase the number of nodes necessary to connect regional telecom operators to the Antifrod system.

Roskomnadzor increases the power of the Antifrod system by 2 times

In 2022, the servers of the Triniti es manufacturer have already been purchased to create the Antifrod system and by the end of July 2023 the total number of servers used by the system is 26 units, the representative of Roskomnadzor added. Thus, the number of servers is more than doubled.

Trinities and Aquarius are domestic equipment vendors. The products of these companies are included in the register of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Trinities is developing servers based on foreign platforms Supermicro, AIC and Intel, follows from the information on the vendor's website. Aquarius servers also use foreign components - Intel processors, indicated on the developer's website.

By the end of July 2023, the big four telecom moperators have already connected to Antifrod, and by March 2024 all telecom operators will connect to it. The operator connects to the system for free, but a fine of 600 thousand to 1 million rubles is provided for non-connection. In parallel, all operators block fraudulent calls from replacement numbers using their own systems, their representatives told the publication.^[11]

Preventing more than 300 million fraudulent calls

At the end of 2022, Roskomnadzor launched a system called Antifrod in test mode. Its main task is to combat calls made by scammers from replacement numbers. During this time, the department, together with operators, managed to intercept more than 300 million calls, which could result in negative consequences for Russians. According to the plan of Roskomnadzor, until March 2024, all Russian operators should connect to Antifrod. Further, the functionality of the system will expand, and its work will improve. This was announced on July 10, 2023 by the press service of the State Duma deputy RFAnton Nemkin.

The peak of the number of such calls so far fell on April 2023, then the operators managed to protect citizens from 70 million calls from replacement numbers. Nevertheless, while the system is not yet fully operational - according to the plans of Roskomnadzor, this will happen by March 2024.

"Antifrod" allows you to check whether the call is actually being made at the moment from the number of the determined operator. In fact, a cross-request occurs to the calling operator. communications If the call goes without changing the number, the called carrier skips the call. This cross-verifies the calls of all carriers. RUSSIAN FEDERATION At the same time, this will not affect the communication speed - the system will work in such a way that the operator can verify the number in 500 milliseconds.

In addition, the system will accumulate data on calls made from replacement numbers for six months. "Antifrod" will also be able to independently block calls with number substitution.

As previously told in Roskomnadzor, in 2023 Antifrod will only scale, and in 2024 it will switch to a distributed format of work by region.

Verification nodes will appear in all regions, which will improve the quality of the system. As soon as they are installed in a specific region, operators will begin to receive notifications about the need to connect to them. According to the plan of Roskomnadzor, by March 2024, all operators will be connected to the system, including transit operators, through whose communication networks calls pass - this is almost 3 thousand companies. Large telecom operators will use their infrastructure and connect to common Antifrods, regional telecom operators will be able to connect to cloud nodes. The target is about 90% of calls must be verified. When the system starts working fully, there should be no more calls with number substitution technologically in the Russian Federation, "said deputy Anton Nemkin.

In the foreseeable future, it is also necessary to solve problems related to phone calls from scammers via the Internet, in particular through instant messengers, as well as calls from scammers from foreign countries. It is planned that Antifrod will work at the international level: it will be able to interact with antifrod systems in different countries. First of all, such cooperation is needed with Kazakhstan due to the use of a single international telephone code of the country + 7.

Po, with the to data Ministry of Digital Development launch of Antifrod, fraudulent calls with the substitution of a telephone number have indeed largely moved from regular telephone networks to. WhatsApp But you need to remember that they banks are not state organizations used for messengers calls to citizens. Roskomnadzor is already working on a scheme of interaction with banks, in which the system of blocking calls from replacement numbers "Antifrod" will be able to help in the fight against telephone fraud in the banking system. In general, there is no need to hope for such filters in foreign messengers - they practically do not comply with Russian law at all and do not care about user safety. And Russian messengers, I am sure, closely interact on these issues with Roskomnadzor, they simply do not do this in public so as not to attract the attention of fraudsters once again, "added Anton Nemkin.

After all, fraudsters, unfortunately, will not give up their business so simply. They are constantly looking for new ways, so the state still has a lot of work to do in this direction. We will start from the emerging challenges, - he concluded.

The Ministry of Digital Development will force small telecom operators to connect to the national anti-fraud system

In early July 2023, it became known that the Ministry of Digital Development and the Federation Council intend to oblige small telecom operators to connect to the national anti-fraud system. Otherwise, such companies may lose the ability to provide roaming services.

According to the Kommersant newspaper, the new initiative is stated in a letter sent from the Ministry of Digital Development to Senator Artem Sheikin. The agency is discussing with the security forces the possibility of scaling up the anti-fraud system for telephone fraudsters "Antifrod" on small operators who are not connected to the system and use mobile DEF numbers (not tied to the country of issue).

The Ministry of Digital Development and the Federation Council intend to oblige small telecom operators to connect to the national anti-fraud system

It is assumed that if the new rules are adopted, regional and virtual operators will conclude agreements with the Big Four (MTS, MegaFon, Tele2, VimpelCom) to check all incoming traffic from Russian numbers from abroad in the Antifrod system. It is said that the bulk of fraudulent calls and spam calls come to Russia from abroad. Therefore, the issue of prohibiting the passage of foreign traffic from operators who do not want to connect to the named platform is being considered.

This measure is aimed primarily at suppressing violations of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens, countering crimes and ensuring the security of the state, Sheikin said.

It is assumed that small operators will conclude agreements with the Big Four companies free of charge - until the full deployment of the Antifrod system in Russia in 2024. When a telephone call arrives, the receiving operator's equipment will ask the other operator - the owner of the calling number, whether such a call was made through his network. In case of a negative answer, the system concludes that the number has been replaced, and the call is automatically blocked. At the same time, some market participants believe that stopping the passage of traffic can lead to the creation of competitive advantages for operators connected to Antifrod over non-connected, but providing communication in roaming.^[12]

2022

The principle of operation of the state platform to combat telephone fraudsters

In December 2022, the official launch of the unified platform for verification of telephone calls (EPVV) "Antifrod," which is designed to combat telephone fraud, took place.

The call blocking system from replacement numbers should collect information about connections, subscriber numbers, including those used during forwarding, as well as data on the date and time of calls, SMS messages and communication networks that were involved. On all communication networks of operators there will be nodes of such a system. In addition to telecom operators, the Ministry of Digital Development, Roskomnadzor and law enforcement agencies will have access to them.

According to Vedomosti, by January 18, 2023, three large mobile operators - Megafon, MTS and VimpelCom - were connected to Antifrod. But the problem with replacement numbers will be solved only when all telecom operators connect to the system, according to the Main Radio Frequency Center (GRCC) subordinate to Roskomnadzor.

In the first quarter, Tele2 and Rostelecom will connect to the platform, and call control monitoring of most operators will take place by the end of 2023. Small operators without their own anti-fraud platforms will also have to connect to the hub. To do this, they will have to either create their own system and connect to the hub, or use a cloud solution from a large operator, or purchase a boxed solution from a player with an existing anti-fraud solution and synchronize with the rest.

TelecomDailyDenis Kuskov, in a conversation with Kommersant FM, explained how the platform works:

If some number capacity appears that conducts illegal operations, shows some increased activity, then each operator understands this number separately. When a complex is created, then, in fact, this is the work of all four operators at the same time. If an appropriate situation occurs, all of them block the number, and not someone alone. In addition, the reaction to the appearance of some dubious numbers that commit illegal actions will be faster. They will not be blocked in stages by each operator, but immediately. As for the substitution of the number, it occurs at the stage of making a call, and new technological systems can trace this path.[13]

Telecom operators will be forced to report on replacement numbers to the Ministry of Digital Development

As it became known in early December 2022, the Ministry of Digital Development will have the right to ask operators for data on a completed call based on citizens' appeals through the Public services. The corresponding amendments to the law "On Communications," prepared by a group of members of the Federal Assembly headed by Artem Sheikin, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building.

As Vedomosti writes with reference to this document, the initiative is aimed at combating telephone fraud using telephone numbers. The changes will also allow law enforcement agencies to respond faster to incidents of this kind, Sheikin said.

The Ministry of Digital Development obliged telecom operators to report on replacement numbers

Now, if the authorities write a request, the operator legally has 30 days to respond, and up to seven operators can participate in the chain. With the adoption of the amendments, the time for the investigation will be reduced to one day, he said.

The list of information that the telecom operator will have to provide to the Ministry of Digital Development includes information about the number that accompanied the call, the fact of skipping telephone traffic, or the fact of providing communication service to the subscriber with the date and time, as well as information about the operator who participated in the connection establishment.

This information is needed in order to identify the entire chain of operators who participated in establishing a call to a subscriber faced with fraud, and determine the operator who allowed the number to be changed, follows from the explanatory note to the document. When establishing the fact of substitution, the Ministry of Digital Science will send information about this to the Ministry of Digital Development of Internal Affairs, and if law enforcement officers confirm it, the operator will be forced to pay a fine, the document says (from 200,000 to 800,000 rubles for individual entrepreneurs and from 500,000 to 1 million rubles for legal entities).^[14]

Mishustin approved the requirements for the system

In November 2022, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree "On approval of the rules for sending to the system for ensuring that telecom operators comply with the requirements when providing communication services and services for passing traffic in a public communication network and receiving information from the specified system." We are talking about a system for blocking calls and SMS from Antifrod replacement numbers.

According to the document, Antiford creates a radio frequency service, which will become its operator. At the same time, in one way or another, representatives of telecom operators, law enforcement agencies, and will participate in interaction with the system Roskomnadzor. Ministry of Digital Development

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin

As stated in the decree, the system will:

• Analyze telephone numbers, unique subscriber identification codes that initiate telephone calls, SMS or voice messages;
• Identify connections that do not have initiation information; provide operators with information about the absence of reliable information about the initiation of the connection;
• Monitor the compliance of operators with the requirements to prohibit the passage of traffic from replacement numbers;
• Identify cases of violation by operators of the norms of the Law "On Communications," requiring blocking calls and SMS from replacement numbers.

The system will process:

• Information on subscriber numbers and unique identification codes of subscribers initiating calls (including calls, sms, voice messaging); information about the numbers of subscribers who received the call;
• Information about the additional numbers used when forwarding connections;
• Data on the date and time of the connection establishment;
• Information about communication networks involved in traffic transmission;
• Information about established connections from replacement numbers.

The decree will enter into force on January 1, 2023, its validity period will be six years. All operators will have to connect to the system without fail.^[15]

2021: Building the System

On December 29, 2021, the Main Radio Frequency Center (GRCC), subordinate to Roskomnadzor, signed a contract worth 8.2 million rubles for the study of technology that will prohibit the substitution of telephone numbers. This became known on January 25, 2022.

As Kommersant writes with reference to this tender, it was played out behind closed doors, so the technical documentation and data on the winner have not been published. The GRCC noted that the study is necessary to determine the principles of interaction between telecom operators.

When making a call, they must exchange a valid subscriber number, excluding the possibility of replacing it, he said.

Roskomnadzor is developing a system for blocking fraudulent calls from replacement numbers

Telecom operators interviewed by the publication said that they have long blocked suspicious calls using their own solutions. The problem of combating fraudsters, they believe, cannot be solved until operators from abroad connect to it.

A market source Kommersant noted that anti-fraud allows you to cut off most calls from replacement numbers, but there are small operators who deliberately do not prohibit number substitution or even provide such a service. And if the call came through the operator, then the anti-fraud system is more difficult to block it.

According to experts, it is technically impossible to limit or prohibit the mechanism of number substitution. In their opinion, for this it will be necessary to prohibit a number of necessary and popular services, for example, to disable the multichannel number and services "8-800." They believe that it is also not impossible to prohibit the substitution of a number by monitoring compliance with the rules, since the communication system of the Russian Federation is part of the international telecommunications infrastructure.

Operators of other countries, from where fraudulent calls can also go, are not obliged to comply with the rules of the local regulator, which appear only because law enforcement agencies do not cope with their duties, said Mikhail Klimarev, executive director of the Internet Protection Society.^[16]

Notes