Resident of Bashkiria interrupted scammers' scheme one step before complete ruin

In Sterlitamak, a 77-year-old resident contacted the police after almost 1.6 million rubles were stolen from her.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Republic of Bashkortostan, unknown individuals contacted the woman via a messenger app. They introduced themselves as employees of the FSB of Russia and the Federal Treasury. The perpetrators told the pensioner that illegal banking operations were being carried out in her name, and the money was allegedly being transferred to a terrorist organization. Using psychological pressure, they convinced the victim to transfer her savings to a “safe bank account.” Following the instructions, the woman withdrew funds from her deposit and deposited them through ATMs into the scammers' accounts.

The total damage amounted to about 1 million 599 thousand rubles. When the criminals demanded that she transfer another million rubles under the pretext of closing four allegedly issued loans, the pensioner suspected fraud, stopped following instructions, and told her daughter about what happened.

The police initiated a criminal case under the article “attempted fraud on an especially large scale.” The article provides for imprisonment for up to 10 years.