Hospital worker hands 12 million rubles to scammers in a package

A 57-year-old hospital employee in Yekaterinburg gave scammers 12 million rubles (about $133,300), which included her own savings and those her mother had accumulated for decades. The elaborate fraud began with a call from someone posing as a homeowners association employee.

Feb 21, 2026

A woman and her mother lost all their savings in an elaborate fraud scheme.
Source:
Alexei Volkhonsky / V1.RU

In Yekaterinburg, a 57-year-old hospital employee fell victim to scammers. She handed over 12 million rubles (about $133,300 at current rates) — everything she had in her account.

As the victim told police, it all started with a call from a fake homeowners association (HOA) employee. He said that the building was changing intercom keys and, while they were being made, residents would enter using personal codes. He then asked her to provide the digits from an SMS, which she did.

«Next, she was contacted by a woman posing as a Gosuslugi (government services) support worker, and the standard deception scheme was applied against the victim. The fake government representatives convinced her that by providing the code, she had handed her bank details to fraudsters and that her savings would now be transferred to accounts in an unfriendly state. Meanwhile, she herself faced severe criminal liability,» the Yekaterinburg police reported.

The fraudsters convinced the woman to withdraw all her savings and hand them over to the Central Bank. However, she did not go to an office but instead met a courier in a park, handing over the money after he gave the code word «economist.»

«In addition to her own savings, the victim also gave the scammers her mother«s savings of many years, which were also held in her account. The pensioner had been setting money aside for decades, first from her salary and then her pension, only to lose it all in one moment due to her daughter»s insufficient vigilance,» noted the press group of the Yekaterinburg Police Department.

Police remind the public that scammers are constantly devising new schemes. To avoid becoming a victim, follow these guidelines:

1. Do not talk to strangers on the phone;

2. Do not disclose any personal data or codes to outsiders;

3. Do not transfer or hand over money to unknown persons;

4. Personally double-check all information you receive over the phone.

Previously, we wrote about how a doctor from Yekaterinburg met a girl on a dating site and lost a million rubles. Everything about how scammers deceive Ural residents is covered in a special section.