DROPPERY AS A SOCIO-ECONOMIC PHENOMENON: ANALYSIS OF YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN ILLEGAL SHADOW BANKING

ABSTRACT

The article is devoted to the study of droppery as a socio-economic phenomenon that has become widespread in the digital financial environment. The author analyzes the economic, psychological and legal mechanisms of involving young people in shadow banking, examines the role of drops in the infrastructure of illegal financial transactions, and also suggests a typology of dropping according to the degree of awareness of participation. Special attention is paid to the problems of countering this phenomenon in the context of ensuring economic security.

Keywords: dropping, drops, shadow banking, youth, economic security, money laundering, financial literacy.

The digitalization of the financial sector and the simplification of account opening procedures have created an extensive infrastructure for shadow operations. One of the most alarming phenomena has been the formation of a mass layer of drops — individuals who provide their bank cards, accounts and personal data for transactions in the interests of third parties [3]. According to the Bank of Russia, in 2024, the number of identified drops exceeded several hundred thousand people, with a significant proportion of them being young people aged 16 to 25 [4]. Dropping has ceased to be a marginal practice and has transformed into a sustainable socio-economic phenomenon that requires scientific understanding.

From an economic point of view, dropping is a specific form of shadow employment in which an individual monetizes access to legal banking infrastructure. In fact, the drop does not sell labor, but its financial identity — passport data, the ability to open accounts and cards, limits on transfers and cash withdrawals. Remuneration usually ranges from several thousand to several tens of thousands of rubles for a transaction or the provision of a card, which for a young person may seem like a significant amount with minimal effort.

In the shadow finance chain, drops perform three critical functions. First, they provide a stratification of cash flows: a large criminal sum is divided into many small transactions through the accounts of dozens of drops. Secondly, the drop serves as a buffer between the criminal and the stolen money: during the investigation, it is the account holder who is first identified, and not the organizer of the scheme [2]. Third, drops enable cashing out, turning digital footprints into untraceable cash. Thus, dropping is a system-forming element of modern shadow banking, without which its functioning would be significantly hampered.

The main channel for recruiting drops is the youth environment. Previously, the typical drop was an unemployed or marginal element, but today it is often a student or even a high school student. This shift is due to a complex of economic, psychological, and information-environmental factors.

Economic factors include a decrease in the real incomes of young people while maintaining high consumer expectations generated by the digital environment. Scholarships and part-time jobs often do not cover the desired level of consumption, and the offer of quick earnings that do not require qualifications looks extremely attractive. The organizers of the schemes deliberately create the illusion of ease and impunity.

Psychological factors include risk-taking at a young age, underdeveloped critical thinking, and the belief that negative consequences will come for someone else. The effect of social proof plays an essential role: if acquaintances already participate in schemes without visible consequences, the psychological barrier decreases. Many young people do not perceive dropping as a real crime because it does not involve direct violence or an obvious victim.

Information and environmental factors are associated with aggressive dropper marketing in the digital space. Recruiters use social networks, instant messengers, and gaming platforms to disguise ads as legitimate jobs. Entire communities are created in Telegram channels, forming a sense of belonging to the closed club of the chosen ones. Droppery acquires the features of a youth subculture with its own terminology and hierarchy.

According to the degree of awareness of participation, there are three groups of drops. The first group consists of uninformed drops who become victims of deception and do not realize the illegal nature of their actions. The second, most widespread group is formed by situational drops — individuals who are aware of the dubious nature of operations, but agree to participate for the sake of quick earnings. They are not interested in the origin of the funds and do not identify themselves with the criminal community. The third group consists of professional drops who systematically participate in illegal schemes, well understanding their nature, recruit new participants and coordinate the flow of funds. The transition from situational droppery to professional droppery is particularly dangerous, marking the consolidation of an individual in a criminal environment.

From a legal point of view, droppery is in a complex qualification area. A person may be held liable for money laundering, complicity fraud, or illegal circulation of payment funds [1]. However, proving intent, especially in situational drops, is a significant challenge. It is necessary to establish that the person was aware of the criminal origin of the funds, and not just fulfilled the request of an acquaintance or responded to a dubious advertisement. A definite step forward was the introduction by the Bank of Russia of an interbank data exchange mechanism for drops, which allows them to block their accounts and restrict access to banking services.

Droppage is a complex socio-economic phenomenon in which the economic vulnerability of young people, the psychological characteristics of age and aggressive digital recruitment technologies are intertwined. Effective counteraction requires an integrated approach that combines improving financial literacy, targeted prevention in the educational environment, improving interbank interaction and developing an early detection system for drops based on transactional activity analysis. Without systemic measures, droppery will continue to expand its social base, involving new generations of young people in the shadow economy.

References:

1. Federal Law No. 115-FZ dated 08/07/2001 “On Countering the Legalization (Laundering) of Proceeds from Crime and the Financing of Terrorism”.
2. Kopylov V. V., Prokofiev O. M., Kaloshina Yu.S. Features of remote theft of citizens' funds using the method of social engineering // Bulletin of the Moscow University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. 2022. No. 3. Pp. 126 – 131.
3. Cheklaukova E. L. Droppery in the banking sector // Modern technologies and scientific and technical progress. 2025. No. 1. pp. 372 – 373.
4. Bank of Russia: Banks have repelled more than 20 million attempts to steal customer money. URL: https://cbr.ru/press/event/?id=18382 (accessed 05/14/2026).