Fraudsters posing as employees of the energy holding RusHydro are sending miners commercial proposals to place equipment at a number of hydroelectric stations. This was reported by «РБК-Крипто» to the RAKIB.
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According to association representatives, this scheme has already resulted in the theft of more than 15,000 mining devices this year.
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RusHydro confirmed a mass scam outreach on social networks and Telegram channels using the group’s branding and a similar email address. Company representatives confirmed not to engage in correspondence with the scammers.
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According to BitRiver’s counts, the data-centre operator, Russia, in the first quarter of 2023 for the first time ranked second globally in terms of mining capacity deployed — 1 GW.
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At the same time, the Finance Ministry estimated annual cryptocurrency mining in the country at around $4 billion. Potentially the industry could bring about 20 million rubles a year to the state treasury, according to the ministry.
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A bill regulating the sector was registered in the Russian State Duma since mid-November 2022. It obliges individuals and legal entities to report mined cryptocurrencies to the tax authorities, with the address to which the proceeds are credited. Its adoption is expected in 2024.