First Apartment Theft in Russia Using a Stolen Electronic Signature

For the first time in Russia, scammers have managed to steal an apartment by using someone else’s electronic signature. According to the newspaper “Kommersant,” the fraudulent transfer of the property was carried out through the online portal of Rosreestr, the Russian Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography.

The victim was a Moscow resident named Roman. Without his knowledge, scammers re-registered an inherited apartment in their own name. Roman only found out about the theft after receiving a utility bill, which listed someone named Mashkov as the owner instead of him. Thinking it was a mistake, Roman contacted the local Multifunctional Center (MFC).

At the MFC, Roman was told there was no mistake and that Mashkov was indeed the legal owner of the apartment. Rosreestr representatives explained that, according to their records, Roman had supposedly gifted the apartment to Mashkov. The agency’s staff could not identify the notary who certified the transaction, citing a lack of information. They said the donor (Roman) had signed the gift agreement with an electronic signature. Roman was baffled, as he had all the apartment documents in his possession and had never obtained an electronic signature.

Irina Berezenko, a spokesperson for the Moscow branch of Rosreestr, stated that, from a legal standpoint, the procedure for transferring the property was fully observed. She explained that last fall, the ownership of the apartment was transferred based on a gift agreement in simple written form. Both the donor and the recipient allegedly submitted the documents electronically, certified with electronic signatures.

Experts believe Roman became a victim of scammers who registered an electronic signature in his name. To confirm the authenticity of an electronic signature, a person must appear in person with their passport at a certification center. If personal attendance is not possible, a power of attorney can be issued to another person. Apparently, this is what happened in Roman’s case.

Last fall, Roman received a notification about an attempt by third parties to access his account on the State Services portal. Although the support staff assured him that everything was fine, legal experts believe that the stolen data could have helped the criminals carry out the fake transaction.