Fraudsters Took Out a Loan in Your Name: How to Get the Debt Cancelled

A client stopped by his former registered address to pick up mail and found a letter: a microloan he never took was listed against his name.

With interest and penalties, the debt had grown past 25,000 rubles. The loan was issued online in the client’s name: he never submitted an application, never signed a contract, never entered a text-message (SMS) code, and never received the money.

We will explain how the debt was cancelled and what to do if you find a loan you never took. The client’s name has been changed.

What happened?

In early October 2026, Alexey collected the letters from the mailbox at his old address. He has neither lived nor been registered there since the end of 2023.

The envelopes held demand letters and overdue notices for a loan issued by a microfinance organization (MFO).

The scheme is a familiar one: fraudsters obtained Alexey’s personal data and took out the loan online. The money never reached him.

What did we do?

You have to act fast, before the debt is passed to collectors or to a court and your credit history is damaged.

Our steps:

1. A claim to the lender. We sent a reasoned claim to the MFO and to the bank that represents it. It stated that the client had long ago changed his registered address and residence.
2. What the claim asked for. We demanded a check of the application (IP addresses, the device, the phone number, the photo taken at signing, and the details of the account that received the money). We also asked for cancellation of the debt, removal of the data from the credit bureau, and an end to collection.
3. Police reports. On the client’s behalf, we filed three fraud reports with the police.

The MFO recognized the contract as not concluded, stopped collection, and sent an official document: it has no claims against Alexey.

As a result, the debt is cancelled, the fraudsters’ personal account is blocked, and the data about the debt is being removed from his credit history.

We cannot say which worked better, the claim or the three police reports: everything was used at once.

Each case turns out differently, depending on the evidence and on speed.

What should you do if fraudsters took out a loan in your name?

The rules below are given as of October 22, 2026.

The order from this case works for you too:

1. Do not pay a single ruble. Even a small payment may be read as an acknowledgment of the debt, and the limitation period then starts again (Art. 203 of the Civil Code). We explained how this works in the article How to Recover a Debt With No Promissory Note if the Debtor Stops Responding.
2. Request your credit report. Credit histories are kept by credit bureaus, and you can find the right one through the Gosuslugi portal. Each bureau gives you a report free of charge twice a year, one of them on paper (Part 2 of Art. 8 of the Law No. 218-FZ on Credit Histories). It shows the loans listed against you, including the one you found.
3. File a police report. Fraud is defined in Art. 159 of the Criminal Code. Ask for a notification coupon: a paper with the date, the time, and the details of the officer who accepted the report (Part 4 of Art. 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure). The police must decide on the report within 3 days. They may extend this to 10 days, and to 30 if documents have to be checked (Parts 1 and 3 of Art. 144).
4. Send a claim to the lender by registered mail with an inventory of contents. Here the lender is a microfinance organization or a bank. Write that you did not conclude or sign the contract, did not receive SMS codes, never got the money, and have changed your address. Ask for a check of the application, cancellation of the debt, removal of the loan data from the credit bureau, and an end to collection.
5. Dispute the entry in the credit bureau. File an application with the bureau that holds the history (Part 3 of Art. 8 of the same law). The bureau must check the data with its source within 20 business days (Part 4 of Art. 8).
6. Turn to the Bank of Russia if the lender stays silent or refuses. A microfinance organization must reply within 15 business days of registering your request. It may extend this by no more than 10 business days (this is how the Bank of Russia explains Law No. 442-FZ of August 4, 2023). Once the deadline has passed or the reply leaves you unsatisfied, file a complaint through the Bank of Russia online reception (you sign in through Gosuslugi). Attach the organization’s letter, and the complaint will be reviewed on its merits rather than sent back.
7. Prepare for court. A loan agreement is considered concluded from the moment the money is handed to the borrower (Part 6 of Art. 7 of Law No. 353-FZ on Consumer Credit (Loans)). So if the lender sues, you may prove that the money never reached you (Art. 812 of the Civil Code). Documents about your change of address, the police coupon, and the lender’s replies will help.

Self-ban: how to close the door on the next loan

A self-ban shuts the door on new loans; a fraudulent loan that already exists stays in place.

How the self-ban works is set out in Art. 5.1 of the Law on Credit Histories and in the explanations of the Bank of Russia:

1. You file the application through Gosuslugi or a multifunctional service center (MFC), free of charge and as many times as you like (Part 1 of Art. 5.1 of that law).
2. A lender checks your credit history before issuing a loan and must refuse if a self-ban is in place. If it issues the loan anyway, it has no right to demand performance from you (Part 6 of Art. 13 of the Law on Consumer Credit (Loans)). If the self-ban was in force on the day of issue, the data about that loan is annulled on your application: the source must correct your credit history within 10 business days (Parts 4.1-1 and 4.1-2 of Art. 8 of the Law on Credit Histories).
3. You can lift the self-ban at any time by filing an application, which is also free. The lifting takes effect on the second calendar day after the information is entered into your credit history (Part 21 of Art. 5.1).
4. A self-ban does not apply to mortgages, loans secured by a vehicle (for example, car loans), and basic education loans with state support: the money under those goes straight to the school (Part 2 of Art. 5.1).

We wrote about the self-ban and three other protections in the article Four Anti-Fraud Tools Russians Got in 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay if fraudsters took out the loan? No, if you did not conclude the contract. Do not pay even part of the sum: a payment may be read as an acknowledgment of the debt. Collect the evidence right away: the police report, the report from the bureau, and the lender’s reply.

How can I find out whether a loan was taken out in my name? Request your credit history from a credit bureau. You can find the bureau through Gosuslugi, and each one gives you the document free of charge twice a year. Also keep any lender letters that arrive at your old address.

What if the lender refuses to cancel the loan? File an application disputing the entry with the credit bureau, turn to the Bank of Russia, and prepare to defend yourself in court. The police coupon and the lender’s replies will serve as your evidence.

Does a self-ban help if the loan already exists? A self-ban protects against new loans only. A debt that already exists does not vanish by itself: you have to dispute it with a claim and an application to the credit bureau and, if necessary, in court.

Read Also

• Four Anti-Fraud Tools Russians Got in 2026: the self-ban, the ban on property deals, the cooling-off period, and SIM cards
• How to Recover a Debt With No Promissory Note if the Debtor Stops Responding: why an acknowledgment of debt changes the limitation period
• Credit History After Bankruptcy in Russia: how a credit history works and how to get it free of charge

A loan was taken out in your name? Or a lender demands a debt you never took? Get in touch. We will assess your documents, draft a claim to the lender, and prepare applications to the police and the credit bureau.