Moldova’s Information and Security Service has officially accused the Russian security services of coordinating the mass collection of personal data belonging to Moldovan citizens for use in fraudulent schemes involving cross-border organised crime.
The data is reportedly being sourced from illegally traded private databases on the dark web, compromised servers, and a database allegedly compiled by the Shor organized crime group containing information on approximately 145,000 individuals.
The collected information reportedly includes full personal details, passport data, and phone numbers.
Authorities describe these actions as part of a broader strategy to undermine public trust and national stability by creating a sense of insecurity among the population.
Citizens are advised to exercise caution and avoid sharing personal or financial information with unknown entities promising high returns on investments.
The warning was issued on 17 June and points to a coordinated data-collection operation by the Russian security services using various methods: from private databases illegally sold on the dark web, from databases obtained through unauthorised access to private servers, and from the database of the organised criminal group ‘Shor’, which contains information on approximately 145,000 citizens.
The Kremlin has, in effect, legalised its cooperation with international criminal syndicates. Russian security services act as ‘suppliers of stolen data’, whilst cross-border criminal groups carry out the dirty work of financial fraud and money laundering. This allows Moscow to maintain an ‘alibi of denial’, disguising deliberate state aggression as routine criminal activity.
The transfer of Moldovan citizens’ data to international criminal organisations has resulted in the coordinated looting of bank accounts and the siphoning of capital from Moldova’s financial system.
The brunt of this falls on the most vulnerable sections of the population. In addition to individual tragedies, this places an enormous strain on the banking sector and law enforcement agencies, which are forced to investigate thousands of cybercrimes coordinated from abroad simultaneously.