Moscow police describe young men’s role in fraud courier networks

Moscow police official Anton Kononenko said on October 14 that fraudsters were actively recruiting young men as couriers. He described the typical courier and money mule as an urban resident aged 18 to 25.

Kononenko, who heads the Moscow Interior Ministry’s unit combating the misuse of information and communications technology, spoke at a press conference on cyberfraud. His description was an assessment of recruitment patterns, rather than an allegation against people in that age group generally.

He said that after criminal liability for the unlawful circulation of bank cards was introduced, offences involving card transfers had declined sharply. In his account, recruitment had shifted towards courier roles.

Those couriers could also be used to conduct transactions involving cryptocurrency and identity verification, he said. The legislation introducing criminal liability for money-mule activity took effect on July 5, 2025.