An announcement about the mass purchase of accounts of the Russian messenger Max has appeared on the darknet. The user who posted the ad was previously interested in carding - a type of fraud related to the theft of bank card data.
Using fake accounts, attackers may try to gain access to users' banking data. Stanislav Kuznetsov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Sberbank, stated this at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. According to him, Max accounts for 8–9% of fraudulent calls, which is significantly less than the 85% of cases associated with the use of SIM boxes and virtual PBXs. Kuznetsov noted that Max accounts are either bought or stolen for fraudulent schemes. SIM boxes used by fraudsters are complexes for managing multiple SIM cards for the purpose of mass calls and mailings, Roskachestvo explained.
Frankly speaking, they either buy accounts from each other, or they steal them, this practice already exists, we see it, but there is an understanding of how to deal with it.
On August 20, 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the detention of the first suspect in fraud via Max. Through the messenger, the attackers convinced a resident of Kursk to transfer the code from the SMS, extorting 450 thousand rubles. The bank froze the accounts, and the money was not transferred. Also, the cyber police revealed cases when fraudsters rent accounts from schoolchildren and students for $10–15. Such cases are still rare and are quickly suppressed.
Max is a national messenger developed by VK with the support of the Ministry of Digital Development. The beta version was launched in March 2025. The platform supports calls, chats, voice messages, sending files and money transfers. In July, VK blocked 10 thousand fraudulent numbers and removed 32 thousand malicious documents.
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