MOSCOW, June 3 (RAPSI) - The Russian Government has submitted a bill to the State Duma to toughen criminal liability for skimming, the cabinet of ministers announced on its website this Tuesday.

Skimming is a fraud technique using special ATM equipment to capture card details from the magnetic strip of a bank card, including the pin, and then produce a copy of the card.

The bill stipulates criminal liability for the production or sale of electronic data storage devices or software for illegal wireless money transactions, and makes amendments “to bring the penalty for this crime in line with its threat to society.”

“The proposed amendments to the Criminal Code are aimed at improving the remote banking market and reducing the risks in electronic payments and e-commerce,” the statement says. The bill was approved by the Government at a May 15, 2014 meeting.