Fraudsters convinced Vladimir Shtop, a 60-year-old senior official in the Russian Ministry of Finance, to move 3.8 million rubles into what was described as a protected or safe account. The tale surfaced through a Telegram channel report about the incident.
The sequence began when Shtop received a call from an unidentified caller who claimed to be Artem Naumenko, a staff member at a large bank. The caller asserted that attackers were attempting to secure a loan on Shtop’s behalf and pressed for an immediate transfer of funds to a so-called safe account. With the claim that speed was essential to prevent a loan opt out, Shtop followed the instructions and prepared to transfer the money by authorizing a power of attorney that would supposedly allow the transfer to proceed unobstructed.
Proceeding with the plan, the victim visited the GUM department store area near Red Square to withdraw the money. Over several transactions from different branches, he retrieved a total of 3.8 million rubles and then transferred the funds to three unfamiliar card accounts. It was only after completing these transfers that he realized he had fallen for a scam and that the money was no longer in his control.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the case, focusing on how the deception was carried out and how to identify the individuals responsible for orchestrating the fraud. The incident highlights the persistent risk of social engineering that targets high-ranking public officials and financial managers, exploiting trust and the appearance of urgency to bypass normal verification steps.
Historically, Vladimir Shtop has held significant roles in the region, including a position as Deputy Minister of Finance in the Novosibirsk Region and leadership of the Finance Department in Sevastopol. The pattern of such cases underscores the vulnerability of senior officials to cunning brokers who use impersonation and fabricated scenarios to pressure victims into rapid financial transfers.
Earlier reports from law enforcement described a separate case in St. Petersburg where a resident of Novorossiysk imitated government officials to extract funds from subordinates and educational institutions. This pattern illustrates a broader risk landscape where criminals exploit official personas to induce fear and prompt action without due diligence, often using voice replication and other social-engineering tactics to undermine trust.