In some countries such as Russia showing up doesn’t help. You can just find a corrupted shop assistant fairly easily. Who will be happy to replace any SIM card

In some countries such as Russia showing up doesn’t help. You can just find a corrupted shop assistant fairly easily. Who will be happy to replace any SIM card for any number in any distant city for not so big award. The worst thing — only this shop assistant will be liable and in some cases for not too much, like a few years in prison. Possible gains from such criminal activity usually cover all the costs.