Group-IB estimated the volume of the shadow online market for tobacco products and electronic cigarettes in Runet in 2021 at 5.6 billion rubles. More than half of all illegal turnover is accounted for by electronic cigarettes (2.3 billion rubles) and sticks (1.1 billion rubles). As in the case of the illegal trade in alcohol, Telegram has become the main tobacco market among messengers - the number of subscribers of "profile" channels exceeded more than 1,400,000 people. Group-IB experts on counterfeit research note that the growth trend of the shadow business will continue due to the withdrawal of large players from the legal market.

In 2021, due to a 20% increase in the excise tax on tobacco products, prices for tobacco products rose again - from an average of 112 to 140 rubles per pack. Smokers switched to cheaper cigarettes (up to 125 rubles) — they accounted for a third (37%) of legal sales on the Russian market. However, some smokers have redirected to the shadow market, where illegal traders offer a wide range - about 200 brands - of "underground" tobacco products, including counterfeit and contraband ones.

Tobacco apart

Group-IB Digital Risk Protection analysts for the second year in a row estimate the volume of the illegal Internet market of classic tobacco products and electronic cigarettes. At the end of 2020, it amounted to 500 million rubles, excluding sales through social networks, Telegram. However, 2021 was the heyday of trading in these channels. So, through messengers, goods were sold in the amount of 3.5 billion rubles, and 314 million rubles fell on social networks. The total size of the illegal market of tobacco products reached 5.6 billion rubles.

Despite the ban on the remote sale of tobacco, Group-IB Digital Risk Protection specialists discovered more than 620 online resources where cigarettes, sticks and electronics are sold bypassing the current legislation. In 2020, there were a little more such resources - about 700. This is due to the fact that in 2021, after blocking, some sellers migrated to social networks and instant messengers.

The network of the largest online tobacco store that was found during the study consisted of 341 related domains. Such affiliation allows not only to produce numerous "mirrors" of the main store of illegal sale of tobacco products, increasing the influx of customers, but also to quickly "move" from one domain to another in case of blocking.

Due to active blocking in social networks, the number of groups and accounts selling cigarettes has almost halved - from 320 to 190. However, as in the case of the illegal sale of alcohol, Telegram became the main trading platform - in 2021, more than 130 channels where you could buy tobacco products (in 2020 there were 100). The total number of subscribers interested in buying such a product has increased almost 3 times and amounted to more than 1,400,000 people.

Revenge of sticks

More than half of the total shadow turnover of the online market of tobacco products was accounted for by electronic cigarettes (2.3 billion rubles) and sticks (1.1 billion rubles). The Group-IB Digital Risk Protection system last year detected 164 online stores, 22 groups in social networks and 40 channels in instant messengers, where they offered to buy counterfeit and contraband sticks of well-known brands at a price two times less than the original. Most of the illegal sticks were made in Armenia and Kazakhstan.

At the same time, disposable electronic cigarettes of popular brands were actively traded on 122 websites, 48 ​​telegram channels and 40 accounts or groups on social networks. On average, the cost of one fake electronic cigarette from shady sellers varies from 80 to 1,300 rubles, while the same products in legal stores will cost a smoker about 2 times more.

“According to our estimates, the entire turnover of illegal online sales of cigarette and nicotine-containing products in 2021 amounted to more than 5.6 billion rubles. However, the financial damage to tobacco manufacturers and the state due to the sale of goods on the Internet in circumvention of the current legislation is higher - in 2021 it amounted to 6.8 billion rubles. The online sale of tobacco products is illegal and no one guarantees the authenticity of the products sold, which is associated with the risk of causing significant harm to health.”

Andrey BusarginDeputy General Director of Group-IB for Digital Risk Protection

bbabo.Net