Digital advertising platforms
Advertisements on once-familiar boards and fences are gradually becoming a thing of the past. Digital classifieds platforms offer their users a virtually unlimited selection of goods and services. It's become commonplace for us to use Avito, eBay, Yula, Cian, and other platforms for everything from listing kittens for sale to buying real estate. User engagement on classifieds platforms is colossal: according to various estimates, over 45 million Russian citizens use Avito alone. Every day, 900,000 new advertisements are posted on the platform, and hundreds of thousands of transactions are concluded. However, many of these ultimately turn out to be fake.
On average, users of digital classifieds platforms lose 1.5 billion rubles per year to fraudulent activity. Platforms like Avito
or Youla don't moderate ads before users post them, and small transactions lack oversight and verification. As a result, many users lose their money or goods, or, at best, purchase a low-quality product. Moreover, given that digital classifieds platforms are often used by people with middle and low incomes, any loss of funds can have a significant negative impact on their financial well-being.