A resident of the capital became the target of a sophisticated scam that drained not only his own savings but also the money earned from selling an apartment worth more than 12 million rubles. This alarming incident was reported by the press service of the Moscow prosecutor’s office.
In a chilling sequence, a 71-year-old woman received a phone call from an unknown caller who claimed to be a law enforcement officer. The caller asserted that an unidentified person was attempting to withdraw money from her disabled second cousin’s savings, creating a sense of urgency and fear.
Following the deception, the elderly woman allegedly contacted a bank employee and, under the caller’s instructions, withdrew 800 thousand rubles from the bank. The money was then transferred to specified accounts. Persuaded by the same ruse, she convinced her sister to sell their apartment, handing over the sale proceeds of about nine and a half million rubles to a courier involved in the scheme.
Later, the impostors, posing as police, contacted the Moscovite again and claimed they were also working to sell his Nalchik apartment. Fearing the loss of his real estate, the pensioner felt compelled to “pay for himself” and transferred another 900 thousand rubles to the fraudsters.
When the victim tried to approach a relative about the apartment purchase, he realized that he had been dealing with scammers. The total loss surpassed 12.3 million rubles, marking a severe breach of trust and a significant financial blow to the family.
Earlier, scammers had already managed to elicit an epileptic episode from another Moscow resident who was targeted by this same criminal scheme, highlighting the severe emotional and health risks embedded in these criminal practices.