The key facts

  • Recruitment begins with small requests: checking windows, finding out the car, picking up and handing over an object — according to Filip Nemov of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
  • Victims are sought in games designed for communication; the interlocutor quickly becomes a “friend”
  • The Investigative Committee of Russia previously reported closed groups, anonymous chats and promises of easy money to children

How recruitment in games begins

Recruitment of teenagers in online games begins with small requests and errands. This was reported by Filip Nemov, head of the department for combating the unlawful use of information and communication technologies at the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, RIA Novosti reports (the material is cited by Gazeta.Ru). “If we are talking about recruitment directly in games, it starts small: ‘Please check whether the lights are on at my friend’s window,’ ‘What car is he driving,’ ‘Please pick something up from my friend and hand it to me,’ and so on, and so on. These are already elements of recruitment work,” the outlet quotes him as saying.

How perpetrators find victims

According to Nemov, potential victims are sought among young people in online games that are originally designed for communication between users. After communicating in the game, the interlocutor quickly becomes an “acquaintance” and, as it were, a “friend.” The practical significance of this description is that the small errands themselves from a gaming “acquaintance” can be a warning sign — even before any major demands appear.

What the Investigative Committee previously reported

The picture is supplemented by a statement from the official representative of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Svetlana Petrenko: to recruit children in Russia, fraudsters use closed groups, online games and anonymous chats, deceiving, intimidating and blackmailing teenagers, taking advantage of the fact that children do not know the laws. Online, minors are promised easy money and immunity from prosecution. Petrenko emphasized that it is important to recognize the danger in time by noticing changes in a child’s behavior, not to be afraid to contact law enforcement agencies and to take action. It was also previously reported about a new scheme for deceiving child gamers.