The State Duma in Russia has passed legislation introducing criminal penalties for the sale of bank cards and restricting the issuance of debit cards to minors without parental consent in an effort to combat “dropperism.” These laws aim to disrupt illegal schemes that use intermediaries to withdraw and launder illicit funds.

Selling bank cards will now be punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine of up to one million rubles. Renting out access to one’s bank account or card to third parties for payment will also carry a penalty of up to three years imprisonment.

These laws address the problem of “droppers,” individuals who register bank cards in their names and then sell them to be used in illegal financial transactions. Previously, the lack of legal consequences for transferring bank cards was exploited by scammers, who lured people with promises of easy money. Many “droppers” were unaware that their actions facilitated the movement of funds from phone scams or drug sales.

The new regulations seek to protect minors from being drawn into fraudulent activities by requiring parental consent for debit card issuance. This measure responds to concerns about the recruitment of children into “dropper” networks.

Legislators and legal experts believe these changes will significantly limit criminals’ ability to launder stolen money and enhance the protection of citizens’ funds. While acknowledging that the issue of “dropperism” among teenagers may not be entirely eradicated, they emphasize that the new laws will reduce the scale of the problem and establish clearer legal boundaries.