Based on a survey by the Garda Data Protection Competence Center
A recent survey conducted by the Garda Data Protection Competence Center has revealed that a staggering 81% of Russians encounter fraudsters after their personal data is compromised. Analysts shared these findings, also highlighting other common repercussions of leaked personal information.
In 2025, the most prevalent consequence of data breaches continues to be fraudulent calls, affecting 81% of respondents. Following this, 39% of participants reported having their social media accounts hacked. Financial losses were experienced by 6% of citizens, while hacks of banking applications and government services were recorded at 5% and 4% respectively.
The study further indicated that 54% of Russians have personally experienced data breaches. Interestingly, half of these individuals do not utilize services to check if their information has been compromised. Among those who do, two-thirds discover their data publicly available.
Over the past three years, there has been a significant decrease in the number of citizens who take no action following a data leak — plummeting by 94%, from 51% in 2023 to just 3% in 2025. The majority now actively try to mitigate the fallout: 32% changed or stopped using their compromised data, and 26% ceased using the services of the company responsible for the breach. Additionally, 17% contacted law enforcement, another 17% withdrew consent for personal data processing, and 5% resorted to legal action by filing lawsuits.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) previously warned Russians about an emerging fraud scheme. Criminals are creating accounts in messengers, offering services for the purchase and delivery of cars from abroad, exploiting current demands and often targeting unsuspecting individuals.
