Join the race: how scammers speculate on the topic of increased recycling
An increase in recycling rates from November 1, 2025 may be used by fraudsters for their schemes, experts have warned. According to preliminary estimates, increased recycling may lead to higher prices in the premium segment and a number of other problems for car owners. Such prospects worry many Russians, which is what the attackers use. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Why is the topic of increasing recycling interesting to scammers?
Recycling is directly related to the purchase and registration of a car, so any information about its increase is alarming to vehicle owners.
"This is exactly the fear that scammers seek to exploit," says the specialist. — It is enough to refer to new rules or urgent surcharges for a person to believe and start looking for a way to solve the problem, — Nikita Novikov, an expert on cybersecurity at Angara Security, said in an interview with Izvestia.
The topic of the upcoming changes in the rules for calculating recycling is of great interest to fraudsters due to uncertainty and a long waiting period, adds Alexandra Shmigirilova, GR Director of the Security Code Information Security company. This gives the attackers a wide field of activity: they use this time horizon to create artificial excitement and intimidate car owners with a rapid and significant price increase.
What schemes on the topic of increased recycling should we expect in the fall of 2025
Any information occasion is a new topic for fraud, and increasing recycling in this regard is no exception, Dmitry Sluzhenikin, assistant head of the Gazinformservice analytical center, secretary of the Consortium for Security Research of Artificial Intelligence Technologies, said in an interview with Izvestia.
"At the same time, given that citizens today are accustomed to digital services, a large number of fraud cases on the topic of recycling should be expected in the digital environment," the expert notes. — In particular, the number of fake websites and offers in messengers/social networks on the topic of alleged schemes to circumvent legislative innovations may increase.
Attackers can adapt old scenarios to the current agenda, adds the head of BI.ZONE Brand Protection Dmitry Kiryushkin. The recycling calculation formula depends on several parameters, including the age of the imported machine. Accordingly, the older the car, the higher the cost of payment. As cars become more expensive in the near future, demand for them will grow. Therefore, scammers can take advantage of this situation and start posting fake ads on various online platforms with extremely profitable offers, the expert notes.
Fraudsters may claim that there is a certain "last batch of cars" at attractive prices, but to buy one of them you need to make an advance payment, offer services on "Public Services" with "preferential categories" or install a "unique" application that will allow you not to pay for recycling at all, says Dmitry Sluzhenikin.
— Another option is to make calls on behalf of law enforcement officers, banks or customs, who will claim that a newly purchased car is subject to arrest, and to avoid this, you need to dictate a code from an SMS or transfer money somewhere, — says the expert.
At the same time, fake websites are appearing that copy the design of official services, adds Nikita Novikov, an expert on cybersecurity at Angara Security. On phishing resources, victims are required to provide passport information and are offered to make a payment through payment forms. Another technique is also common — fraudsters promise to issue documents in advance according to the old rules for a commission. In both cases, the result is the same: the money is debited, but the person does not receive any documents.
What schemes of scammers on the topic of recycling have you encountered before
Fraudulent schemes on the topic of recycling have been encountered before, Nikita Novikov says in an interview with Izvestia. In particular, drivers received text messages allegedly on behalf of customs or the traffic police, which stated that without paying the recycling fee, the car would be de-registered or not registered. In addition, there have been cases where fraudsters have created clone sites and offered citizens to pay for paperwork.
"The victims transferred money, but in return they only received confirmation of payment for the fictitious operation," says the specialist. — These practices are well known: the scheme is old, only the news agenda is changing.
There were also schemes for collecting prepayment for "registration in registers" or "preferential registration," adds Alexandra Shmigirilova. Fraudsters actively used such a trick as pseudo-consultations on illegal ways to avoid paying the fee, using the ignorance of citizens.
According to Dmitry Kiryushkin, fraudulent schemes on the topic of increasing recycling are primarily aimed at those users who are going to purchase cars. Today, you can buy a car on various online platforms: from online stores to platforms with ads and messengers.
"In this regard, the probability of being hooked by intruders is much higher," the expert emphasizes. — In an effort to purchase cars at a bargain price, users risk losing large sums of money.
Nikita Novikov warns that those who order cars from abroad should be especially careful. To register such a car, owners must pay customs and recycling fees separately, the amount of which is sometimes comparable to the price of the purchased car. For such citizens, the issue of saving is especially relevant, so the likelihood of falling into the hands of fraudsters increases. But deception can also affect experienced car owners if they are accustomed to trust messages from government agencies.
At the same time, the danger lies not only in the direct theft of money. Fraudsters gain access to motorists' personal data, which can lead to much more serious problems: from obtaining loans in someone else's name to reselling confidential data on the black market.
How to protect yourself from fraud schemes on the topic of increasing recycling
In order to protect yourself from fraudulent schemes on the topic of increasing waste collection, first of all it is necessary to abandon hasty actions under the influence of panic messages and be sure to check the information, says Alexandra Shmigirilova. It is important to use only official sources: government portals, websites of ministries and authorized dealers.
— Messages that create an artificial sense of urgency in messengers and mailings should be ignored, — says the interlocutor of Izvestia. — Before making any financial transactions, it is advisable to consult authorized dealers or financial experts.
In turn, Dmitry Kiryushkin recommends making large purchases on trusted sites and not trusting overly profitable offers — as a rule, scammers are hiding behind such ads. It is also worth considering that no federal, regional or local taxes and fees are paid through links from letters, messages or messengers, Nikita Novikov reminds.
All information about recycling and other mandatory payments is published only in official sources: on the Gosuslugi portal, the websites of the Federal Tax Service or the Federal Customs Service. If the car owner receives an email demanding payment of the fee, the message must be ignored. At the same time, you should check the information yourself in the personal account of the service or by contacting a specific agency.
— It is important to remember that there are no "urgent commissions" in the context of recycling: these are just tricks of scammers in order to encourage a person to make an urgent decision and not give them the opportunity to verify information from other sources," the expert concludes.
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