Received a social contract and became fraudsters: entrepreneurs become defendants in criminal cases
Businesswomen from various regions complained of criminal prosecution due to social contracts. Criminal cases were opened against them for large-scale fraud. Allegedly, they were not entitled to the assistance provided under the contract.
A social contract is a payment of up to 350 rubles to individuals in difficult life situations to help them develop their business. It can be obtained from social security agencies if the family's income is below the subsistence level.
Elizaveta, an eyelash extension specialist from Voronezh, told NeMoskva that she signed a social contract in 2024. She reported on payments for a year and a half, and there were no complaints. Then, friends and clients began reporting that law enforcement officials were calling them and inviting them in for questioning—asking why they had transferred money to Elizaveta two and a half years earlier.
"Social Security is shifting all the responsibility onto us. They gave out the money, no one defrauded them, and nothing was hidden. I'm currently overpaid by 156 rubles, and it's been a real hassle for me for six months, and I've already paid more to my lawyer," says Elizaveta.
In 2023, Tatyana, a manicurist from a village in the Krasnodar Krai, took advantage of this support program. There are virtually no jobs in the small village. Tatyana worked part-time at home, caring for her ailing mother. She submitted reports for two years, and no complaints were filed against her.
"This year, law enforcement came to my house and said I was a fraudster! They found income on my bank cards and in transfers, and they said I wasn't entitled to this payment," says Tatyana.
She also made personal transfers—for medication for her mother and to order cosmetics for her friends. All of this was counted as income. During the second search, they confiscated the equipment she had purchased with that very same social contract.
"They're now calling my clients who transferred money to me, intimidating them, pressuring them to say they transferred money for services. That's how they gather evidence," says Tatyana.
Elizaveta's case is currently with the prosecutor's office, and the decision to forward it to court is being made. Tatyana is under a travel restriction and, in addition to the criminal case, is awaiting a hearing on her complaint regarding the first search, which was conducted without a court order. According to Elizaveta, there could be hundreds of such "victims of fraud"—about 30 people have contacted her about their cases.
Vladimir Putin in 2025 notedThe social contract system works well, and citizens are able to start their own businesses. It just needs to be expanded to include SVEO employees.