MOSCOW, 20 February 2024. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the findings of a monitoring study devoted to phone scams.

Unwanted calls and messages: the scale of problem

Based on the survey findings, phone scams have become more frequent in Russia; the February survey reveals that 67% of Russians say that over the recent six months or a year they have had fake phone calls, whereas in 2021 slightly more than half of respondents reported the same (57%, +10 p.p. over the past three years). Text scams are less common in Russia (17% vs 19% in 2021 and 20% in 2022). 

The survey suggests that the key criterion when choosing a potential victim is the place of residence. Those who are more susceptible to scamming are residents of both capitals: 85% of the residents of Moscow and St Petersburg have come across scamming (including 81% of those who received phone calls from scammers and 26% of those who received text messages), whereas in rural areas this percentage is 57% (55% received phone calls, and 10% received text messages from scammers).

Another differentiating factor is the level of education: the higher the level, the more often the respondents share their experience with scammers.  Seventy-seven percent of Russians with higher and incomplete higher education say they have received fake calls, 22% have gotten scam text messages (vs 60% and 14%, respectively, among those with secondary special education).

Three out of ten Russians have come across any of the above-mentioned (30% vs 40% of the 18-24-year-olds).

Not glad to be tricked

To get in touch with a victim is only half the work for scammers. The findings show that a vast majority of Russians the scammers have managed to get in touch with did not fall for scammers and did not suffered financial loss (93%; 91% in 2021 and 2022). The figure has been stable over the entire period of measurement. Seven percent of those who have come across phone scamming report to have been damaged financially (including 3% of those who say the loss was insignificant, and 4%, significant). 

Overall, Russians hardly believe they can be scammed by phone: 46% consider it hardly possible, 27%, impossible. Another 23% admit (“this can happen”) they can be deprived of their money because of scamming (vs 31% of those aged 45-59). Digital and financial awareness efforts yield results: over the recent three years the share of Russians who are skeptical about their chances to get scammed (“I am confident that it will never happen”) has increased by 9 p.p. (18% in 2021); on the contrary, the share of those who admit this may happen has decreased by 11 p.p. (34% in 2021).

Who will refund?

In the upcoming summer a law requiring financial organizations to reimburse the clients for stolen funds will come into force in Russia. Based on the findings, the new law meets social demand as most Russians believe that stolen funds must be reimbursed. According to 44% of respondents, it is the responsibility of law enforcement bodies; 31% think that it is the bank’s responsibility. Every eight respondent considers that it is the victim to be blamed for being scammed (13%).

 VCIOM-Sputnik Russian nationwide telephone survey was conducted 2 February, 2024. A total of 1,600 Russians aged 18+ took part in the survey. Survey method: telephone interviews, stratified random sample based on a complete list of mobile phone numbers in use in Russia. Data were weighted for social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes to the wording of questions and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.

Key effectiveness indicators, survey of February 2, 2024:  cooperation rate (CR)* = 0.7962; minimum response rate (MRR)** = 0.0159; response rate (RR)*** = 0.0984. Calculations are based on the corporate standard: https://profi.wciom.ru/principy_standarty/korporativnyj-standart-po-izmereniyu-rezultativnosti-oprosov-sputnik-vciom/

* CR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews and b) non-interviews with eligible respondents.

** MRR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews, b) interrupted interviews after successful screening and c) all the respondents where it is unknown whether they meet the selected criteria or not.

** RR is calculated in the same way as MRR, with the only difference that the number of respondents with unknown eligibility decreases proportional to the percentage of eligible cases in the total number of respondents with identified eligibility or non-eligibility.