A writer was defrauded of 45 million rubles in a scam that public sources attribute to organized fraudsters, as reported by the Mash Telegram channel. The incident highlights how quickly manipulation can unfold and how important it is to verify every offer that seems connected to online reputations.
According to the account, during a late-night outreach on July 9, the perpetrators phoned and impersonated Wikipedia employees. They claimed to provide a service to update biographical information on the site. The subject, proceeding cautiously, terminated the call. Shortly afterward, a caller purporting to be from the Federal Security Service (FSB) contacted the victim, alleging that the scammers intended to siphon money saved for a new apartment and move it to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This combination of fear, authority, and a credibility hook in a single sequence is a common tactic used to lower skepticism and accelerate decisions.
The individual then withdrew 45 million rubles from a bank and transferred the funds to what was described as a trusted FSB employee. A courier, said to be a 19-year-old student, was later detained by police in relation to the case. The sequence underscores how ordinary routines—bank transfers and trusted intermediaries—can be hijacked by criminals to appear legitimate and urgent, making victims more vulnerable to rapid, high-stakes actions.
Earlier, similar scams affected the artist Nikas Safronov in June. In that incident, the scammers first claimed to be Wikipedia employees, then proceeded to exploit access to the State Services WhatsApp account and solicited deposits from other celebrities on Safronov’s behalf. This pattern—pretending to be familiar, credible professionals, then using computerized or official channels to persuade—illustrates a damaging blend of social engineering and digital access abuses that can spread quickly across networks.
Additionally, public figures including Nikita Mikhalkov have faced questions about contact origins, with some denials suggesting that not every alert is accurate or straightforward to verify in real time. These events collectively reveal the ongoing risk of impersonation, the dangers of quick transfers, and the need for rigorous checks before moving money or altering personal records. Experts advise confirming identities through independent, official channels and never sharing login credentials, one-time codes, or bank details in response to unsolicited requests. Caution remains essential as scams continue to evolve alongside evolving communication platforms and public profiles.