An elderly Vladivostok resident is reported to have lost his life savings after trusting a new acquaintance who persuaded him to move all his funds into a so-called safe account. The warning came from investigators in the Primorsky Territory’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. [Attribution: Primorsky Territory MVD]
In this case, unidentified individuals contacted the 90-year-old retiree by phone, claiming that attackers were attempting to sign over a power of attorney to access his savings. The scammers pressed the idea that transferring money to a supposedly secure account would shield it from harm. The elderly man was urged to act quickly to protect his wealth. [Attribution: Primorsky Territory MVD]
Shortly after, a man named Artyom visited the resident at his home. Together with the new acquaintance, they attended a cinema visit, during which the pensioner assisted in moving three million rubles through an ATM. The transfers were directed to accounts specified by the fraudsters, who promised generous returns and total safety. [Attribution: Primorsky Territory MVD]
Law enforcement later established that the unwitting accomplice was also under the influence of the scammers and handed over his own savings to the criminals. He agreed to help recover the money, but authorities opened criminal cases for fraud carried out on a particularly large scale. [Attribution: Primorsky Territory MVD]
A separate report notes that a 62-year-old nurse from Krasnoyarsk was previously abducted by phone scammers and left with four million rubles. This pattern of manipulation illustrates how opportunistic criminals target vulnerable people, often layering threats with false appeals to urgency and familial or fiduciary duty. [Attribution: Primorsky Territory MVD]