The year is 2026. Paper notebooks are a thing of the past, and simple human arrangements have migrated to instant messengers. We transfer money through banking applications in two clicks, trusting the "check mark" about sending more than the signature on the stamped paper. But what do you do when a friend who has received a large amount on the card suddenly stops answering calls, and all you have is a screenshot of the Telegram conversation?
As the founder of the Malov & Malov law firm, Andrey Malov, over my 18 years of practice, I have seen how the judicial system is changing. Previously, judges only required paper with a "live" signature, but today a digital footprint can be your lifeline. However, there are pitfalls that few people think about when transferring money. Let's analyze this situation in detail and logically, avoiding complicated legal terms.
The illusion of a bank check
The most common misconception is: "I have a transfer receipt from an online bank, this is proof of debt." Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. For the court, the very fact that money was transferred from Ivanov's card to Petrov's card does not automatically mean that Petrov borrowed money.
Judicial logic works differently here. When a judge sees an account statement, he has a legitimate question: what is the nature of this payment? The defendant, the same unscrupulous debtor, can declare anything in court. For example, that you gave him this money for his birthday. Or that you were paying him back an old debt. Or that you were throwing together to organize a party, and he had already spent the money for the intended purpose.
There is such a thing as a presumption of good faith in the Civil Code. Until proven otherwise, it is assumed that the money was transferred free of charge or in fulfillment of some other obligations, but not necessarily as a loan. Therefore, a "bare" bank statement is not enough. To turn a transfer into a debt, you need to prove the purpose of the payment. Ideally, in the "message to the recipient" column, you wrote "in debt up to such and such a date." But let's be honest, only a few people do this in 2026. Usually we just send a smiley face or leave the field blank.
Messenger as an evidence base
If the bank check is empty, we go to look for the truth in the correspondence. WhatsApp, Telegram, social networks — that's where the terms are usually discussed. "Throw off 50 thousand, I'll pay you back in a month" — this phrase can become your golden key to victory in court.
However, you can't just bring your phone to the judge and show the screen. The court is a bureaucratic machine that handles documents. An ordinary screenshot printed on a printer is also not suitable, because modern technologies allow you to fake any picture in five minutes. The defendant may declare,
