Residents of St. Petersburg are cautioned about a married couple alleged to be auto scammers who primarily operate in the city’s northern districts, targeting areas with sparse camera coverage to carry out their fraud. According to Mikhail Yanenko-Bazanov, head of the VSS working group and a senior manager at IC AlfaStrakhovanie, more than 40 crash incidents involving this couple have been documented over the past three years, resulting in losses surpassing 8 million rubles.
Their pattern typically unfolds with the victim, usually a spouse, encountering a scenario where the other driver makes an improper maneuver. The incidence often occurs at roundabouts, where a collision is staged even when one party could have avoided the accident. In environments lacking surveillance cameras, the second party tends to be recorded as the offender, which conveniently steers fault away from the scammers.
For vehicle replacements, the scammers favor high-end used foreign cars that prove expensive to repair. The repair costs for these vehicles are typically steep in the current market, which compounds the financial impact on insurances and victims alike. Yanenko-Bazanov notes that while numerous incidents involve the same offenders, insurance companies struggle to build a prosecutable case due to a lack of direct evidence.
Requires 7,000 tires in popular sizes
The commentary on public order emphasizes that without stable oversight, essential services and medical care cannot be consistently provided. The situation underscores broader concerns about public safety and accountability within the city context.
In a related initiative, a campaign led by a coalition of volunteers and civic groups has begun gathering funds to support tire purchases for law enforcement and emergency services. The effort aims to supply tires for vehicles used by the People’s Police and operational units of the LPR and DPR, as well as ambulances, emergency services vehicles, humanitarian aid transports to Donbass residents, and military equipment. Contributions can be made through a dedicated collection page managed by the organizing groups.
Source: Delovoy Petersburg