Moscow tightens regulation on SIM market to crack down on fraud and 'attackers' — Anti-Fraud 3.0 could see SIMs sold without money and a massive reduction in SIM card sellers

Russia is tightening regulations on the SIM market as part of its new Anti-Fraud 3.0 measures, which could lead to fewer people selling SIM cards and the sale of SIM cards without any money initially. According to the proposals, new SIM cards would be sold without pre-loaded funds, and customers would need to establish the service agreement before adding any money.

This change aims to make it easier to trace fraudulent SIMs through payment activity. The Finance Ministry believes that these measures will make it impossible for criminals to use prepaid numbers for fraudulent purposes anonymously. Currently, individual entrepreneurs serve as intermediaries between mobile operators and consumers, accounting for nearly half of physical SIM purchases in Russia.

If the new rules are implemented, these intermediaries would lose their ability to arrange subscriber agreements. However, mobile operators like T2 argue that stronger intermediary requirements could be more effective than eliminating the current model, as they already verify customer identities and activate numbers after completing verification procedures.

The proposed package also includes requiring identifiable sender information for bulk text messages and prohibiting automated calls to check the activity of particular numbers. Additionally, owners of websites and mobile applications may be required to retain registration and login records for three years, which would be accessible to law enforcement when needed.