Deputies of the New People party submitted a bill to the State Duma that proposes automatic notification of citizens about a loan or loan issued in their name through the State Services portal. Such a measure will help not only protect the rights of citizens, but also fight fraud more effectively, the deputies believe.

In 2022, 5% of citizens discovered fraudulent loans in their name when checking their credit history. In Moscow and the Moscow Region, there were 8% of such citizens.

Most creditors interviewed The Kommersant publication did not respond to requests, with the exception of VTB, which supported the initiative, calling it effective in the fight against fraudsters.

According to the bill, information about loans will be provided after they are issued, which raises doubts among experts about its effectiveness. Critics of the bill believe that it would be more logical to notify the client of a financial organization about the loan in his name, not when the money has already been issued, but at the time the loan is approved, when the issuance process can be stopped if the borrower’s documents were used by attackers.

In addition, if the borrower does not have a profile on Public Services, or his profile is not associated with a contract with a mobile operator, or the number is incorrect, he will not receive a notification about the conclusion of an agreement with a bank or MFO. According to experts, the measure would work against fraudsters only if the further conclusion of the contract would be impossible without confirmation from the recipient of the notification.

Experts also warn about the possibility of credential interception by scammers and suggest using two-factor identification, regularly checking your credit history and using the practice of a “second key” that involves the presence of a trusted person.

The Central Bank believes that citizens should think about their own protection. They have already proposed to introduce a self-prohibition mechanism for loans and borrowings, which can be recorded in your credit history. In this case, the user will be able to cancel the option if he really intends to receive a loan.