Thousands of crimes related to fraud, drug trafficking and the involvement of citizens in terrorist activities are registered in Belarus every year. This year alone, more than 10,000 people have become victims of fraud. The number of cybercrimes in the country, although decreasing, remains quite high. At the same time, the crime structure is changing: now the trend is not embezzlement of funds, but fraud, in which citizens themselves transfer money to scammers.
Online financial fraud: the most common schemes
The attackers are constantly improving their methods. Calls on behalf of bank employees or law enforcement agencies remain one of the most common ways to extort money. Fraudsters began to use multi—level schemes: first, a person receives an SMS with a code, then a "representative" of the organization calls, followed by an alleged police officer who convinces the victim that someone has issued a loan in her name. For persuasiveness, criminals use video calls with people in uniform, the background looks like a real employee's office, and artificial intelligence technologies allow them to fake their appearance. They often call with a message about an accident involving relatives and demand to urgently transfer money to an "investigator" or "lawyer." Most often, the victims are elderly people.
Phishing scammers disguise themselves as buyers or services to lure confidential data through fake websites or links. They create websites that mimic banks and offer payment via third-party links, requiring you to enter full card details and SMS codes.
Recently, a new scheme has appeared. The attackers send out notifications via messengers about the alleged arrears of fines for speeding and offer to click on a fraudulent link to pay. The site looks similar to the official resource of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but the beautiful picture hides a way to steal money and personal data.
Important! The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus does not use messengers to notify about fines and does not send out third-party payment links. Fines are checked only through your personal account on the website mvd.gov.by or in the ERIP system.
In order not to become a victim of a fraudster, we recommend following a few simple rules.
In case of suspicious calls, do not try to find out if this is a real employee. Feel free to say that you will come to the bank or the police station in person. Any employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the bank will communicate with you directly.
Do not share your personal information, card details, CVV codes, passwords, or SMS codes with anyone. Law enforcement officers never act through messengers, but will ask you to come to the department in person.
When shopping online, pay attention to the authenticity of the resource. Check user profiles (date of creation). Avoid prepayments and deposits without verified data. Never click on unknown links. Check the domain name carefully. The low cost of the goods should alert you.
When making calls about an accident with relatives, first check the authenticity of the information. Stop talking immediately and contact your relative directly. Don't panic.
Do not open accounts or transfer card details to third parties. This can be complicity in a crime and can result in imprisonment for up to 6 to 10 years.
If you still fall for the tricks of scammers, immediately contact the police by calling 102 or write to the chatbot of the Ministry of Internal Affairs "We are always there!".
Drug trafficking: how to avoid falling into a criminal scheme
Drug trafficking remains one of the major threats. At the same time, law enforcement officers manage to achieve positive dynamics. In 2025, there were two times fewer criminal cases of crimes in the field of drug control than in 2014 (3786 and 7319, respectively). Six times fewer minors were brought to criminal responsibility for crimes related to drug trafficking (2014 - 371, 2025 — 57). Significantly fewer citizens, including teenagers, were brought to healthcare organizations with psychotropic substance poisoning (2014 — 223, 2025 — 12).
What you need to know to avoid becoming involved in the drug business:
The distribution of drugs, even as a "pawnbroker", is a serious crime for which long—term imprisonment is provided.;
do not settle for "easy earnings" on the Internet related to the delivery or transfer of any packages, parcels or parcels - this may turn out to be drugs.;
If you are offered a job related to the distribution of prohibited substances, immediately inform the police.;
monitor the behavior of children on the Internet, explain to them the consequences of participating in the drug business.
Terrorist activity: how not to become a tool in the hands of recruiters
One of the threats is the so-called internal terrorism, when, under the influence of external influence, citizens of our country become subjects of terrorist crimes. Young people are most at risk of being influenced by intruders.
Recruitment is conducted through the Internet, dating sites and social networks. The attackers are actively trying to involve Belarusians to collect information and commit illegal acts. The correspondence begins, and then there are demands to complete the tasks. Refusal is followed by threats, blackmail and hints of physical violence.
Attackers often disguise themselves as employers, offering "safe jobs" or easy earnings. However, behind the beautiful promises lies participation in terrorist activities and the preparation of extremist actions.
Criminal liability for terrorist activities in Belarus is extremely severe. Involvement in terrorism and participation in it entails long-term imprisonment. Even "harmless" correspondence or the transmission of photos can become grounds for initiating a criminal case.
What to do if you encounter recruitment:
stop communicating immediately;
do not share any information about yourself, your family and friends.;
do not fulfill any requirements or tasks.;
report an attempt to recruit to law enforcement agencies.
General safety rules
To protect yourself from fraud, we recommend that you follow the following rules.
Be critical of information on the Internet. Attackers quickly adapt to the ongoing preventive work and change their approaches, so a comprehensive critical approach to all information available on the network is needed.
Check any suspicious information. Carefully check the resources from which you receive offers.
Never share personal information with strangers. Do not send photos of documents, do not provide information about yourself and your loved ones. Scammers use any information for blackmail and pressure.
Do not follow links from suspicious messages. Official notifications do not require the entry of personal data via the Internet. Government agencies do not use instant messengers for notifications and do not send payment links.
If you receive a questionable offer, do not make hasty decisions. Contact law enforcement agencies for advice.
Do not succumb to provocations, check the information and promptly contact law enforcement agencies by calling 102. Your safety is in your hands.
