President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed Law No. 5038-IX, which introduces separate criminal liability for transferring a bank card or account access for the purpose of fraud and other crimes. The document was published on November 14 and comes into force on November 15, 2026.

The offer to "rent out your card" or receive money into your account and forward it for a reward may seem like a simple side job. However, as the National Bank warns, criminals use such accounts to move illegally obtained funds and conceal their own involvement. People who provide accounts and access to them are called "drops" or "money mules".

The key condition of the new criminal norm is the criminal purpose of the transfer of access. A transfer to a relative or receiving payment for goods by itself does not constitute the described offense.

According to the final text of the law, part one of the new Article 200¹ of the Criminal Code provides for a fine of 5,100 to 17,000 UAH for transferring a payment instrument, credentials, or providing access to an account or electronic wallet for the purpose of fraud or other criminal offense by other persons.

Remuneration is not a mandatory condition for liability: the transfer of access to commit a crime can also be free of charge.

Part two establishes liability for receiving, acquiring, and other actions specified by law with someone else's payment instruments and credentials, as well as gaining access to accounts and electronic wallets with criminal intent. The punishment is a fine of 51,000 to 85,000 UAH, restriction of liberty for up to three years, or imprisonment for a term of two to four years.

If the actions under part one or part two are committed repeatedly or by an organized group, a fine of 85,000 to 170,000 UAH or imprisonment for four to six years is provided. Thus, six years of imprisonment is not an automatic punishment for any case of card transfer.

The law also provides for exemption from criminal liability for a person who has committed an offense under part one for the first time. To do this, before being notified of suspicion, the person must voluntarily report the incident to an authorized law enforcement body and actively assist in the detection and termination of the crime committed by other persons using the transferred instrument or access. Simply contacting the bank is not sufficient to meet these conditions.

If account access has already fallen into the hands of third parties, you should immediately contact the bank to block the compromised access means. If there is suspicion of a criminal scheme, contact law enforcement and keep correspondence with those who offered the "side job".

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the law on October 28, and on November 13 the document returned to parliament with the president's signature. Earlier, Kurs reported on the first reading of the bill in September. The penalties mentioned in this article are given according to the final version of the law.

Based on materials from: the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the text of Law No. 5038-IX, "Voice of Ukraine", the National Bank of Ukraine.