About the safe opening of an account in a foreign bank

Способы обмана As you know, in April-June 2022, after the withdrawal of the Visa and Mastercard payment systems from the Russian market, the demand for cards of banks in the CIS countries grew rapidly. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan have become leaders in issuing bank cards for Russians. Against this background, fraudsters have become more active.

About how to open a foreign bank account safely, for the resource banki.ru Anna Jafarova, General Director of the company "5 cards", tells us.

Methods of deception

In February, a large number of fraudulent transactions were recorded through phishing sites – fake web pages that completely copied real resources. They had high-quality design, reviews and links to social networks. The scammers sent the victims a link to a one-day website, luring them through email and messenger – people were offered to issue bank cards remotely. After receiving the money, the attackers disappeared.

In order not to fall for the bait of scammers, you need to carefully check the contact from whom the letter came. If a large aggregator is "knocking", compare the email address and phone numbers with those listed on the official website of the company. If a friend or relative sent a link to the site, call him back and make sure that he did it. Also pay attention to the site domain: for phishing pages, it differs from the original in several characters.

After the departure of Visa and Mastercard from Russia, Kazakhstan has become one of the most popular destinations for issuing bank cards of international systems. To open an account in a Kazakh bank, you need an individual identification number – TIN. The document is needed not only for financial transactions, but also for further interaction with the authorities. The scammers offered to issue an IIN remotely so that upon arrival in Kazakhstan a person could immediately open a bank account. The client paid for the service, received the IIN, and on the spot realized that the document was fake.

Therefore, before paying, you need to check the IIN through the tax service. The number may not be immediately displayed in the tax system. On average, its activation takes up to 5 days. You can also decrypt the number: according to the rules, first there should be two digits of the year of birth, then the month and the number after the digit 050 and three numbers that need to be remembered. If all the data match, then your IIN is genuine.

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

There are two ways to open an account in Kazakhstan – to independently issue all documents upon arrival in the country, or use the services of an experienced aggregator.

They work with non-residents in Forte Bank, Kaspi Bank, Otbasy Bank, People's Bank. The average time to open an account takes 5-10 days. For many, personal presence in the country can be expensive: more than 100 thousand rubles will be spent in 7-10 days. Due to the high demand in banks, huge queues are formed. In addition, when preparing documents for the IIN, employees often make mistakes, which also affects the time of its receipt.

There is also a more budget–friendly way - the service of a specialized aggregator. Such companies advise on online billing not only in Kazakhstan, but also in other countries. The client leaves a request on the website – specialists help to choose a banking product and conclude a contract. For registration, they most often ask for a passport and a notarized power of attorney to open an account for a company representative. It is safe if the aggregator is verified. Many people may be scared by the notarial power of attorney, but there is nothing wrong with that. The document is valid only for opening an account, the specialist will not be able to perform other operations.

In Kyrgyzstan, accounts are opened in Optima Bank, Aiyl Bank, Bakay Bank, RSK Bank, Keremet Bank and others. Now in financial organizations, card processing can take from 5 days. When ordering a card online, you will need a copy of the passport of the Russian Federation, a power of attorney for submitting documents issued to an employee of the aggregator in Kyrgyzstan, an application form in the form of a bank, a contract for services, consent to the processing of personal data and with the cost of services.

Armenia and Turkey

In Armenia, all banks work with non-residents from Russia, except HSBC Armenia and AEB. To open an account, you will need a passport and its notarized copy with a translation into Armenian, a residence permit, an employment contract that must be signed in Armenia. It is better to specify a more precise package of documents in each bank.

There are currently three banks in Turkey that regularly issue cards – Denizbank, VakifBank and Ziraat Bankasi. The account can be opened in one day. To do this, you will need a foreign passport, an internal passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation and a Turkish IIN. An individual identification number can be obtained by filling out a small questionnaire. You will also need a Turkish SIM card to visit the bank. It will be useful when activating the account.

Anna Jafarova, CEO of 5 Cards, draws attention to the fact that due to the high demand, the conditions for obtaining a card may change, so it is important to monitor them.

The Russian Seafarers' Union adds that today fraud has acquired such a scale that everyone has at least once encountered suspicious calls or phishing emails. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the offers on the market and not succumb to attractive promises. "If you are planning to open an account with a foreign bank, then it is safest to take the advice of those who have already gone through a similar procedure, or carefully study the permits for the work of companies that provide support services," the RPSM advises.

Source: http://www.sur.ru/ru/news/lent/2022-11-11/bezopasno_otkryt_schet_v_inostrannom_banke_21816/