A Moscow retiree loses home and savings to a chain of fake bank calls
A pensioner in Moscow fell victim to a sophisticated scam that drained his savings and cost him his apartment. The incident, reported by REN TV with a cited source, illustrates how impostors posing as Central Bank employees can manipulate trust and trigger a cascade of risky financial moves.
The sequence began when the retiree received a phone call from an unidentified caller who claimed to be a Central Bank employee. The caller warned that the pensioner’s accounts were under imminent threat and needed urgent action. Believing the message, the man transferred 8 million rubles into a supposedly secure account controlled by the impostors. The aim of this first contact was to establish legitimacy and overwhelm any remaining skepticism with a sense of urgency.
Shortly afterward, another caller appeared, this time presenting themselves as a representative from the real estate department associated with the Central Bank. The second scammer described a terrifying scenario in which intruders had allegedly broken into the retiree’s home. The impostor pressured him to sell his apartment quickly, portraying it as temporarily needed for protection and asset preservation. Convinced that this was a necessary safeguard, the pensioner proceeded to purchase another apartment far from central Moscow and transferred 56 million rubles in a bid to secure his future. In addition, he sent 13 million rubles to an unknown young woman, described as an intermediary for business dealings, further expanding the reach of the fraud.
As the scheme continued, the scammers urged the retiree to move some funds into cryptocurrency as part of a supposed rescue operation to recover from the earlier losses. They directed him to visit an office in Moscow City for this transfer, claiming it would help trap the supposed attackers and recover what had been stolen. The pressure to act immediately and the promise of a fast resolution kept the victim on a costly emotional roller coaster, with the stakes escalating with every request.
When the pensioner later attempted to verify the situation and asked to know when he would be able to return home, the response he received was a torrent of threats rather than answers. Realizing that he had become the target of a well-orchestrated fraud, he decided to contact the police. Law enforcement opened an investigation to track the perpetrators and recover any possible funds, though the damage already extended across several transactions and possessions. This case underscores the persistent risk posed by social engineering scams that exploit the authority of financial institutions to manipulate vulnerable individuals.
Reports indicate that this story is part of a broader pattern where scammers repeatedly exploit recognized branding and familiar-sounding roles to create confidence. Authorities emphasize that even urgent-sounding warnings from people claiming to be bank staff should be treated with caution, and legitimate bank representatives will not pressure customers into rapid, irreversible transfers. Collaboration between financial institutions and law enforcement continues to be essential to deter such frauds and to support victims in recovering assets where possible. This incident serves as a cautionary tale for retirees and others who may be targeted by similar operations—prompt reporting to authorities can help curtail the scammers’ reach and protect others from becoming victims.