In Mordovia, a fraud scheme unfolded where a defendant enlisted a truck dealer to purchase a vehicle from an unsuspecting owner, then manipulated the real buyer into transferring the payment for the car back to the swindler. This sequence of events was reported on the official site of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Mordovia and has prompted renewed public warnings about online vehicle transactions and how quickly trust can be exploited in modern markets.
According to police findings, the perpetrator identified a car listing on the internet, presented himself as a serious buyer, and persuaded the owner that his interest was genuine. He then pressed the owner to remove the advertisement, asserting a streamlined, legitimate sale would soon follow. In an alarming twist, the suspect later advertised the same vehicle under his own name, offering it at a discounted price to attract a new, naive buyer. He claimed that a representative would be present to supervise the deal, but in reality, the buyer was being directed toward the legitimate owner rather than toward any intermediary. The manipulation was designed to create a sense of inevitability and urgency, exploiting the buyer’s belief that the paperwork and the transaction would be handled smoothly and transparently.
The two parties finally met with a formal intention to complete the sale, and the buyer proceeded to transfer 1,450,000 rubles via the details supplied by the creator of the fake advertisement. When the rightful owner did not receive the payment, he quickly realized that something was amiss and notified the buyer of the problem. The car owner then turned to the authorities, and the investigation remains ongoing as detectives work to determine the full scope of the manipulation, identify all participants, and recover any funds that may have been diverted. This case highlights the critical need for verification at every step of a vehicle transaction, including checks on the seller’s identity, the legitimacy of the ad, and secure payment methods that leave a clear, auditable trail.
Separately, there was an incident involving a woman previously located in Chelyabinsk who was assaulted after a vehicle was left at the scene of an unrelated crash. Authorities are treating this as a distinct event and are conducting standard follow-up procedures to ensure public safety and to determine any possible connections to other, ongoing investigations. Local law enforcement urges residents to report suspicious activity promptly and to verify all details directly with official channels rather than relying on informal or unverified representations. In the wake of these incidents, authorities emphasize the importance of cautious engagement with online car markets, careful verification of sellers, and the use of trusted payment services that protect both buyers and legitimate owners.