Fraudsters orchestrated a sophisticated ruse to steal four vehicles from a Nizhny Novgorod car dealer, claiming to represent corporate procurement for the Moscow Metro. The incident, reported through a Telegram channel, highlights a deceptive scheme that leveraged the credibility of a major public transportation agency to manipulate the purchasing process and extract a substantial sum in a short period of time. Investigators say the scammers targeted the dealership by presenting themselves as officials from the Metro procurement department and placed an order for four vehicles, including two crossover models from Haval, namely the F7 and F7x, along with a Geely Monjaro and an Exeed VX. The parties allegedly settled the terms by email, agreeing that payment would be made within ten days of delivery, a window that provided cover for the authors to orchestrate a complicated handover. On the designated day, tow trucks arrived at the dealership to remove the vehicles. They were accompanied by an individual posing as a representative from the Moscow Metro who produced a general power of attorney to authorize the transfer.
When the dealership staff proceeded to collect the payment at the Moscow Metro office, it became evident that no such order existed and the email used to contact the dealership did not belong to the Metro organization. The four cars were therefore taken under false pretenses, resulting in a financial loss estimated at 17 million rubles for the dealer. This case underscores the importance of verifying supplier identities and cross-checking official communications against authoritative Metro channels before any delivery or payment is processed. The incident is part of a broader pattern in which con artists exploit the perceived legitimacy of large public institutions to trick businesses into transfers or vehicle handovers. In the past, another scam of a similar nature involved a pickup truck scheme in the Kemerovo region, where a customer was defrauded of about 1.5 million rubles. The evolving nature of these schemes calls for heightened vigilance in supplier verification, document scrutiny, and the use of direct, verified communication lines for all transactions. Businesses are urged to implement robust authentication steps, including independent confirmation of orders and authorized purchase channels, to prevent future losses of this kind.
In response to such frauds, industry experts recommend a proactive approach that combines clear internal controls with straightforward, verifiable processes for corporate purchases. This includes maintaining a strict separation of duties in procurement, requiring multiple levels of approval for high-value deals, and insisting on direct confirmation from designated Metro procurement officers via official channels. Public transport authorities and their suppliers must stay alert to impersonation tactics, such as using forged documents, domain spoofing, or counterfeit signatures, and invest in enhanced vetting of third-party communications. The overarching lesson from this incident is simple: when a deal looks too convenient or when communications arrive from seemingly familiar names, it is essential to pause, verify, and escalate to trusted, verifiable contacts before proceeding with deliveries or payments. The risk remains that additional targeted frauds could emerge, and the long-term remedy lies in combining disciplined internal procedures with ongoing staff education on fraud indicators and secure transaction practices. Outcomes of official investigations and any subsequent updates from law enforcement or Metro authorities will determine future preventive measures, but the core principle remains clear: verify every step of a high-value deal, and never authorize payment or pickup based solely on email representations or assumed organizational affiliation.