Glossary
Glossary
Conversations about security and fraud are full of words that seem clear but actually mean different things. This glossary collects the key terms: about accounts and passwords, about money and fraud schemes, and about documents. The definitions are given in general terms and do not replace the text of the law: check legal concepts in official sources.
Scammers love vague words: "yield", "pool", "turnkey paperwork". Knowing the terms helps you see what lies behind them.
How this section works: we explain common terms in plain language. If a term is defined in law, rely on the official wording.
Accounts and passwords
- 2FA
- Two-factor authentication — signing in that requires a second factor in addition to the password: a code from an app, a hardware key or a code sent by SMS.
- Phishing
- An attempt to trick you into revealing a password, code or card details using an email, message or website that imitates a genuine service.
- Data breach
- A situation in which users' data — email addresses, passwords, phone numbers — ends up in the wrong hands, for example after a service is hacked.
- Password manager
- A program that stores passwords in encrypted form and helps you use a unique password for every site.
- Hardware key
- A physical device for confirming sign-in. It checks the website's address and therefore protects well against phishing.
- Social engineering
- Deception that targets a person's trust, fear or haste rather than technical vulnerabilities: for example, a call from the "bank's security department".
Money and schemes
- Pyramid scheme
- A scheme in which earlier participants are paid out of new participants' money. Sooner or later the inflow stops and most participants lose what they put in. In Russia, organising such activity falls under Article 172.2 of the Criminal Code.
- Scam
- An informal word for fraud or a fraudulent project that collects money and disappears.
- Money mule
- A person whose card or account scammers use to move other people's money. Mules are often recruited under the guise of "easy side jobs".
- Advance payment
- Paying before receiving goods or services. Common in itself, but a demand for full prepayment from an unknown seller is a frequent sign of a scam.
- Chargeback
- A procedure for disputing a card transaction through your bank. Whether it is possible and how it works depends on the rules of the bank and the card scheme — check with your bank.
- Cryptocurrency
- A digital currency whose records are kept on a distributed network. The first was Bitcoin, whose network was launched in January 2009.
Documents
- FRDO
- Russia's Federal Register of Education Documents (education and/or qualification documents and training documents). Kept by Rosobrnadzor; it can be used to verify that a Russian diploma is genuine.
- Document forgery
- Making or altering a document without legal grounds, as well as circulating and using it. In Russia, liability is set by Article 327 of the Criminal Code.
- Apostille
- A special certificate that confirms the authenticity of an official document for use in another country. It is issued by a competent authority.
- Notarised copy
- A copy of a document whose accuracy has been certified by a notary. It confirms that the copy matches the original but does not make a forged original genuine.
Related sections
- Security
Common fraud schemes: sellers of documents, pyramid schemes, "easy money", phishing, fake tech support.
- Tools
Types of protection tools: password managers, authenticator apps, hardware keys, breach checks, backups.
- FAQ
Answers about this reference, about diplomas and documents, and about money and account security.
Sources
- Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Arts. 172.2, 327)
- Rosobrnadzor — FRDO (Federal Register of Education Documents)
- NIST SP 800-63B
Laws, bank rules and service features change. This information is based on official sources as of the preparation date — check the current versions of laws and the instructions of the services themselves.