Debtor alters moniker to Svoboden, seeking debt avoidance in Russia
In a case of financial misconduct and identity fraud, a 63-year-old Belarusian man is facing charges in both Tver, Russia, and Belarus. The man, who has repeatedly defaulted on loans taken from a Russian bank, is also accused of forging a driver's license.
The resident of Tver, who has reportedly spent the borrowed money on personal needs, has been in the sights of authorities for some time. He is facing up to two years in prison for his repeated loan defaults, which have caused a total damage of over ₽342,000 (approximately Br13,000 in equivalent).
Criminal investigators found that the defaulter was behind multiple loan cases. Each time he changed his personal data, he took out new loans using the bank's online service. The bank has complained to the Russian MVD about this chronic defaulter.
However, there is no information in the search results about a person in Tver being charged for repeatedly taking out loans and refusing payments by changing their surname, first name, and patronymic.
In a separate incident, the same man was stopped by traffic police in Belarus. He presented a forged driver's license, which he altered using a ballpoint pen. The forgery involved altering the expiration date of the driver's license, and the man extended the validity of his driver's license by adding strokes to the initial digit 3, changing 2013 to 2018.
The crime the man is accused of is related to his driver's license. If convicted, he may face a prison sentence for this forgery.
Interestingly, the defaulter chose relatively common surnames, with one being "Free". This could potentially make it more difficult for authorities to track him down, but it appears they have successfully linked the loan defaults and the forgery to the same individual.
The bank is currently working to recover the lost funds and ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. This case serves as a reminder for individuals to use credit responsibly and to never resort to fraudulent activities.
