Elderly Perm Couple Loses 6 Million Rubles to Phone Fraudsters
The elderly couple gave their savings to scammers, sold their car, and took out loans.
In Perm, phone scammers deceived an elderly couple. An unknown person introduced himself as the grandfather«s former colleague and, together with other fraudsters, tricked the family out of over 6 million rubles (about $69,000). We explain the scheme in detail.
«They Threatened That Loved Ones Could Be Harmed or Killed»
Perm resident Elizabeth contacted our editorial office. She said that her relatives — 78-year-old grandmother Galina Fyodorovna and 74-year-old grandfather Viktor Nikolayevich — were deceived by scammers. This happened back in October, but the family only found out now because the elderly couple was ashamed to admit it: they had fallen for the fraudsters« scheme.
«That day, an unknown caller phoned my grandfather and introduced himself as his former workmate from the factory where he hadn»t worked for several years. Where they got this information from, we don«t know,» Elizabeth told 59.RU. «Then the caller, using a standard scheme, said he worked at the Central Bank of Russia, claimed that my grandfather»s savings were at risk, and offered to transfer them to a «safe» account. The scammer passed the call to alleged employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) who were supposed to help save the savings.«
At one stage of the deception scheme, the grandmother was also drawn in — exactly how this happened, Elizabeth does not know.
«My relatives were under tremendous pressure from the criminals,» the woman recalls. «The scammers threatened that they must not tell anyone anything, otherwise their loved ones could be harmed or killed. In the end, my grandmother and grandfather gathered all their savings, sold their car, and borrowed money from acquaintances. The scammers sent a courier, and my grandmother and grandfather handed him 6.2 million rubles (about $69,000) in cash.»
At one point, Elizabeth says, the unknown callers even wanted to take Galina Fyodorovna and Viktor Nikolayevich«s apartment. The callers appraised it, named a price, and tried to convince the pensioners to give them the apartment, allegedly to save it from fraudsters. »We«ll sell it and then return everything to you!», they claimed. But at some point, the victims had doubts and refused to hand over the property to the scammers.
«It»s hard to say how long the scammers «processed» my grandmother and grandfather — a few days or weeks… For over two months, my relatives were convinced that what was happening to them was true, and that their money would be kept safe and definitely returned later,« the Perm resident told 59.RU.
«Grandmother»s Heart Problems Worsened«
The pensioners« relatives had no idea anything serious had happened: Elizabeth»s mother called her grandmother every evening, and once a week she visited the elderly relatives together with her. According to the woman, nothing even hinted at such a situation having occurred. Only the grandmother«s health had worsened in the last couple of months.
«We noticed that my grandmother»s heart problems and blood pressure had worsened, she often looked anxious, but we chalked it up to age — after all, she was born in 1947,« says Elizabeth. »We thought that small health issues might arise in old age, but my grandmother and grandfather were both mentally and physically healthy before this story. My grandmother is an Honoured Teacher of Russia with vast experience, and my grandfather dedicated his whole life to the factory, working at the dacha, and building their house.«
«We Fear for Their Health»
Only last week did Viktor Nikolayevich and Galina Fyodorovna decide to consult a relative about what had happened. Elizabeth says they were afraid of judgment from their closest family — her, their granddaughter, and her mother, their daughter. The relatives sent the grandfather and grandmother to file a report at Police Station No. 4 in the Motovilikha District — they went there on Wednesday, 14 January.
«The police accepted the report and said they would work on it, but I doubt that after so much time anything can be done, unless surveillance camera footage has been preserved,» Elizabeth expressed doubts in a conversation with 59.RU. «It»s clear that all the numbers that called my grandfather and grandmother are blocked and don«t exist. And the courier who took the money, I think, might not even be in the country.»
Now the woman is worried about her relatives« condition and hopes they will recover from the sad incident.
«For now, I»m trying not to disturb my grandmother and grandfather because they are in a terrible state mentally,« the woman says. »They are people of the old school, who believed the scammers despite our warnings, because these monsters approached them from a different angle — through acquaintances, gave so many details that no one would have thought they were fraudsters. My grandmother and grandfather were terribly frightened for us, then they became very ashamed and were afraid even to hint at it, afraid they would be scolded. It«s not about the money spent anymore — that»s gone, but we fear for their health because such shocks won«t pass without consequences, and that really scares us.»
A 59.RU journalist asked the police in the Perm Krai whether an investigation was being conducted into the fraud and whether a criminal case had been opened following the elderly couple«s report. We were told that, under personal data legislation, the MVD is not authorized to disclose or disseminate personal data to third parties without the consent of the data subject.
Earlier we reported that a staff member at a mobile phone shop in Solikamsk stopped an elderly woman from transferring money to scammers — the situation alerted the young woman.
