What is so scary about the “telecom collective farm”?
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 10:17 am
Every schoolchild knows that today you can buy a SIM card right on the street without a passport. What is interesting is something else. How do sellers get cards in such quantities? How much do they make on this, and what risks does the buyer bear?
In general, the idea of buying a lot and wholesale, and then selling retail and at a higher price is as old as the world. And the first to speculate on SIM cards were in the advanced technological West. It has become a tradition that in many cases they do everything first.
But if in Europe this activity was semi-legal, just think, a large company bought slovenia phone number resource a couple of thousand extra numbers from a mobile operator and an overly enterprising manager “leaked” them to the side, then here it turned into a separate business. Criminal, of course.
Perhaps they are also actively involved in this in Europe and there are no fewer swindlers there. However, we are more concerned about what is happening in our underground passages.
What happens here is this. An LLC is registered, a contract is concluded with a telecom operator (or with several operators at once – the buyer in the passage should have a choice!) on corporate servicing and many SIM cards are bought at once. Of course, at a discounted rate. And here – the goods are provided.
At the same time, the interest of the telecom company is understandable, it is important for them to increase their client base, so in fact they do not really understand: did I give it to the right person? (c) The sales manager will receive his rightful bonus.
Even if you suddenly decide to tell the operator that someone is selling their SIM cards, breaking the law (according to the law "On Communications" a SIM card can only be sold upon presentation of a passport), they will turn a blind eye to it . Apparently, it is considered that this is a matter for law enforcement agencies. And here is how it turns out.
For such a business, the seller - an individual faces a fine of 2 to 5 thousand rubles . Even if the police "accept" the businessman, they do not cause any particular harm to his turnover.
If the security forces dug deeper and got to officials and legal entities, then the fines could reach 200 thousand rubles. But one-day firms are not afraid of this either.
How much does the shadow telecommunications business bring in? Judge for yourself. The selling price of such a “collective farm” SIM card ranges from 150 to 300 rubles. You can buy them on a specially registered website, for example, here - from 35 rubles for a minimum batch . The more - the cheaper. Even on Avito you can buy them wholesale from 7 rubles per piece !
Overall, it's a very profitable business.
What about the buyers? Who are they and what are they risking?
In addition to various business travelers, tourists, uninformed citizens or those who want to have an undisclosed number for communication, there is another category of citizens who are also not very friendly with the law (and not only with the Law “On Communications”).
But, even if we don’t touch on crime, using such a SIM card is quite fraught.
Firstly, if you suddenly take it for a long time, you will not be able to change the tariff. Secondly, usually, the card account does not have 100-200-300 rubles, as the seller assures, and in the best case, not a negative balance. Thirdly, the card may already have a history. And an unpleasant one. Let's say you activated the number and collectors immediately started calling you. Fourthly, the money from such a card can "evaporate" in an unknown direction. Or rather, known only to the person who linked their bank card to this number. Fifthly, the SIM card can be disconnected at any time. For example, for non-payment. You don't think that scammers will pay bills from the operator issued to a "left" LLC. They have already earned their money on you. And they are not going to pay anyone else.
How to kill the anonymity of the mobile network and the "collective economy"? It seems that the official answer to this question has finally been found. In April 2017, the draft Federal Law "On Amendments to the Federal Law "On Communications" was submitted to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, regulating the procedure for verifying the accuracy of information about the user of communications services, i.e. the subscriber - a legal entity (individual entrepreneur).
In accordance with the approved amendments, from January 1, 2018, telecom operators will be required to confirm information about the subscriber (user) by providing an identity document by the subscriber, or by checking information about him/her using: the federal state information system "Unified system of identification and authentication in the infrastructure ensuring information technology interaction of information systems used to provide state and municipal services in electronic form"; qualified electronic signature, the state services portal and other systems.
In general, the idea of buying a lot and wholesale, and then selling retail and at a higher price is as old as the world. And the first to speculate on SIM cards were in the advanced technological West. It has become a tradition that in many cases they do everything first.
But if in Europe this activity was semi-legal, just think, a large company bought slovenia phone number resource a couple of thousand extra numbers from a mobile operator and an overly enterprising manager “leaked” them to the side, then here it turned into a separate business. Criminal, of course.
Perhaps they are also actively involved in this in Europe and there are no fewer swindlers there. However, we are more concerned about what is happening in our underground passages.
What happens here is this. An LLC is registered, a contract is concluded with a telecom operator (or with several operators at once – the buyer in the passage should have a choice!) on corporate servicing and many SIM cards are bought at once. Of course, at a discounted rate. And here – the goods are provided.
At the same time, the interest of the telecom company is understandable, it is important for them to increase their client base, so in fact they do not really understand: did I give it to the right person? (c) The sales manager will receive his rightful bonus.
Even if you suddenly decide to tell the operator that someone is selling their SIM cards, breaking the law (according to the law "On Communications" a SIM card can only be sold upon presentation of a passport), they will turn a blind eye to it . Apparently, it is considered that this is a matter for law enforcement agencies. And here is how it turns out.
For such a business, the seller - an individual faces a fine of 2 to 5 thousand rubles . Even if the police "accept" the businessman, they do not cause any particular harm to his turnover.
If the security forces dug deeper and got to officials and legal entities, then the fines could reach 200 thousand rubles. But one-day firms are not afraid of this either.
How much does the shadow telecommunications business bring in? Judge for yourself. The selling price of such a “collective farm” SIM card ranges from 150 to 300 rubles. You can buy them on a specially registered website, for example, here - from 35 rubles for a minimum batch . The more - the cheaper. Even on Avito you can buy them wholesale from 7 rubles per piece !
Overall, it's a very profitable business.
What about the buyers? Who are they and what are they risking?
In addition to various business travelers, tourists, uninformed citizens or those who want to have an undisclosed number for communication, there is another category of citizens who are also not very friendly with the law (and not only with the Law “On Communications”).
But, even if we don’t touch on crime, using such a SIM card is quite fraught.
Firstly, if you suddenly take it for a long time, you will not be able to change the tariff. Secondly, usually, the card account does not have 100-200-300 rubles, as the seller assures, and in the best case, not a negative balance. Thirdly, the card may already have a history. And an unpleasant one. Let's say you activated the number and collectors immediately started calling you. Fourthly, the money from such a card can "evaporate" in an unknown direction. Or rather, known only to the person who linked their bank card to this number. Fifthly, the SIM card can be disconnected at any time. For example, for non-payment. You don't think that scammers will pay bills from the operator issued to a "left" LLC. They have already earned their money on you. And they are not going to pay anyone else.
How to kill the anonymity of the mobile network and the "collective economy"? It seems that the official answer to this question has finally been found. In April 2017, the draft Federal Law "On Amendments to the Federal Law "On Communications" was submitted to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, regulating the procedure for verifying the accuracy of information about the user of communications services, i.e. the subscriber - a legal entity (individual entrepreneur).
In accordance with the approved amendments, from January 1, 2018, telecom operators will be required to confirm information about the subscriber (user) by providing an identity document by the subscriber, or by checking information about him/her using: the federal state information system "Unified system of identification and authentication in the infrastructure ensuring information technology interaction of information systems used to provide state and municipal services in electronic form"; qualified electronic signature, the state services portal and other systems.