St. Petersburg law enforcement says five individuals suspected of orchestrating a large fraud scheme were detained after authorities uncovered a method that drained 20 million rubles from a taxi ride service by manipulating the app’s security gaps. The disclosure came through a report on the MVD Media Telegram channel, which described a plan that had operated for about six months prior to arrests.
The accused were chosen from people already known to one another. They registered as fake taxi drivers and had fake driver accounts created on their behalf within the ride-hailing application. In addition, counterfeit passenger profiles were generated to support the deception. Investigators describe a staged scenario where a vehicle was dispatched to a secluded location in the Leningrad region and the trip details were fabricated, creating an illusion of legitimate service activity. The operational blueprint relied on exploiting the app’s verification controls and exploiting gaps in how trips and driver status were recorded.
When the vehicle allegedly arrived at the specified spot, the supposed customer canceled the expensive journey. The service policy in such cases awards a driver a 20 percent compensation of the trip’s cost. Through these steps, the scheme managed to extract a significant amount of money by exploiting resulting payouts. Overall, 34 individuals provided their personal data to facilitate the operation, forming a broader support network for the illicit action.
Criminal proceedings were opened under the relevant provisions of the criminal code, with charges framed as fraud conducted as part of an organized group. If convicted, the defendants face up to a decade in prison. Four suspects were placed under house arrest while one suspect remained under house arrest during the investigation and subsequent legal process. This decision reflects the seriousness with which authorities treat digital fraud that leverages ride-hailing platforms’ payment flows and driver verification mechanisms.
There were prior reports that one individual connected to the case had ties to Chelyabinsk, and law enforcement noted ongoing scrutiny of substitute drivers involved in similar patterns of behavior. The authorities emphasized the importance of strengthening identity verification, monitoring of abnormal trip patterns, and rapid response to anomalies within ride-hailing networks to prevent future exploitation. As the investigation continues, officials urge the public to remain vigilant about suspicious activity and to report irregularities in app-based transportation services. The case underscores the evolving nature of fraud tactics in the digital age and the need for robust security measures across cities and regions.