Pensioner loses 500,000 rubles to phone scammers

Police in the Yaroslavl Region have detailed a scam where a pensioner from Rybinsk lost 500,000 rubles (about $5,600 at current rates).

Feb 11, 2026

A criminal case has been initiated over a fraud scheme in the Yaroslavl Region.
Source:
Kirill Poverinov / 76.RU

In December 2025, a 76-year-old resident of Rybinsk fell victim to phone scammers who fraudulently obtained half a million rubles (about $5,600) from her.

The first call was from a person who introduced himself as a clinic employee. He offered the pensioner an appointment with a cardiologist and convinced her to provide her SNILS (individual insurance account number) details and a code from an SMS message.

The next day, the scammer called again, this time claiming to be a law enforcement officer. He stated that the woman«s personal account on the Gosuslugi (government services) portal had been hacked and that a loan of one million rubles (about $11,100 at current rates) had been taken out in her name.

“Under the pretext of safeguarding her funds, it was necessary to ‘re-register the bank account’ and ‘open a deposit.’ The pensioner followed all the caller’s instructions and cashed out her own savings,” reported the police department of the Yaroslavl Region.

After that, the pensioner went to Moscow with the cash. There she handed over 500,000 rubles (about $5,600) to an unknown man and provided a code word.

“A day later, while the victim was still in Moscow, she was contacted again by the ‘law enforcement officer’ who informed her that a ‘deposit agreement’ would be provided and delivered by a courier,” police explain the sequence of events.

In mid-January 2026, the woman brought the received documents to a bank in Rybinsk, where she was told that they were fake.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Interior Ministry for Rybinsk initiated a criminal case under Part 3 of Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code (‘Fraud on a large scale’). For such a crime, the following penalties are provided:

A fine of 100,000 to 500,000 rubles (about $1,100 to $5,600) or the equivalent of the convicted person’s income for a period of one to three years;
Compulsory labor for up to five years with restriction of freedom for up to two years;
Imprisonment for up to six years with a fine of up to 80,000 rubles (about $889) or the equivalent of six months’ income;
Restriction of freedom for up to one and a half years.

Police admit that finding such scammers is not easy and urge citizens to be vigilant, especially in matters related to finances.

“Scammers are good psychologists and know how to gain trust and convince citizens to follow their instructions. If you receive a phone call from a ‘bank’ reporting a ‘suspicious transaction on your bank account,’ ‘a loan taken out in your name,’ ‘unauthorized withdrawal of funds,’ or ‘accrual of bonuses and their conversion into cash,’ immediately end the conversation,” police advise.

To clarify information, it is recommended to personally visit a bank branch or call the official number listed on the back of your bank card.