Scammers stole 30 million rubles from a retired couple in Moscow, the city prosecutor's office said in a statement on its Telegram channel.
According to the prosecutor's office, a 78-year-old Moscow woman noticed a new chat titled "poliklinika" (clinic) on her phone and tried to open it. A short code was sent to her phone, which she entered into the app. She almost immediately received a message claiming her Gosuslugi public services account had been hacked, along with a phone number supposedly belonging to the relevant authorities.
The frightened woman called the number, effectively contacting the criminals herself. The callers identified themselves as bank and law enforcement employees and confirmed that the pensioner had significant savings. They told her that a power of attorney had been issued in her name to transfer money abroad, and threatened her with searches and a criminal case. The woman and her husband then agreed to "cooperate" and transferred money for what they were told was a verification process.
The elderly man handed cash to couriers sent by the scammers after they gave a code word. In exchange, he received documents stating the bills had been accepted and checked. The criminals later delivered a box to the couple's home that supposedly contained the verified banknotes, but told the pensioners not to open it.
Fraud discovered
The woman realized she and her husband had been deceived only after speaking with her daughter, the Moscow prosecutor's office said. The total damage exceeds 30 million rubles, according to the office.
