Introduction. The theory of criminology describes many types of crime that ensure the commission of other crimes. Thus, in some cases, the commission of violent crimes is preceded by a security crime, for example, the illegal acquisition of weapons precedes the commission of murder. In judicial and investigative practice, there are also reverse situations when the commission of violent crimes acted as a security in relation to a mercenary, when a criminal who stole someone else's property subsequently kills a random eyewitness who is able to expose him. However, it must be recognized that most often the providing type of crime is mercenary crime. It consists of various types of theft committed in order to subsequently be able to commit other types of crimes, such as, for example, the illegal purchase of drugs. Or the theft of vehicles for the subsequent commission of a terrorist act. However, recently there has been a steady trend within mercenary crime: the number of thefts and frauds committed using electronic means of payment is increasing. These two types of theft have increasingly become not only independent acts, but also crimes that ensure that their victims commit other various crimes. Research methods. The work used a general scientific dialectical method of cognition of the surrounding reality, which involves a complete and comprehensive study of phenomena, consideration of connections and contradictions between them. In addition, the method of description was used; the method of logical comprehension. The analysis of the dynamics of providing crimes is carried out. Results. Currently, thefts committed using electronic means of payment have a mechanism that differs from the relatively recent past. To a greater extent, they began to show signs of illegally carried out operational investigative activities aimed at collecting information about the victim, as well as providing crime, which was fully revealed during the last presidential elections of the Russian Federation in March 2024. At that time, there were many cases when law-abiding Russian citizens who came to polling stations suddenly tried to destroy ballots or otherwise interfere with the exercise of electoral rights or the work of election commissions. The investigation of these precedents allowed us to come to the following conclusions. The vast majority of such violators in the recent past became victims of criminals who stole large amounts of money from them. After the crime was committed, the kidnappers contacted the victims again and offered them to return the money seized from them in exchange for performing certain illegal actions during the election campaign. The victims, being desperate and hoping for the return of the stolen, agreed to the conditions of the scammers. Knowing the mechanism of criminals' influence on the victim, it is possible to develop and implement recommendations that can protect potential victims from manipulating their behavior.
providing criminality, signs of operational investigative activity, manipulation of consciousness, victim of crime, theft