Scammers stole family savings in Voronezh Oblast by threatening search

This story is shocking, as it stands out from the usual context. It seems to follow a classic scam scenario—a call about a helpful service, a “code from an SMS,” and “hello, I’m an investigator…” But it’s a volatile mix of a kaleidoscope of fraudulent lies and cynicism. The victims were a family with two children from the Semiluksky District. The mother was the one who contacted the police.

— They called her mobile phone, but her 16-year-old daughter answered, — according to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Voronezh Oblast. — On the other end, a stranger claimed to be an administrator of an educational platform website and said that to resolve an issue, she needed to install a specific app and provide the infamous “code from an SMS.” The girl complied.

And so it began. First, someone claiming to be “from the bank” said that she had given the code to a scammer from a hostile country and now faced criminal charges (“they conducted a ‘conversation’ with the teenager in a rough and aggressive manner, questioning why she was disclosing such information to outsiders,” — a clarification from the police).

While the “banker” was harassing the child, his accomplices accessed the mother’s bank accounts by using the “SMS code” to open her mobile app and blocked her card. They found two savings accounts for the children—one for the daughter and one for the 8-year-old son—totaling 1.7 million rubles ($17,000 at current rates).

— Under the scammers’ psychological pressure, the girl attempted to transfer the money from the accounts to her own card, intending to withdraw it and hand it over. But she was nervous and entered one digit wrong—the money was sent to her mother’s card, which was already blocked.

Next, they forced the child to download a video conferencing app, where a fake “investigator” appeared and threatened, “Hand the phone to your mother or else…”

They threatened the mother with an “immediate search.” To avoid it, she was told she needed to urgently “declare” the money.

At the bank, the woman withdrew all 1.7 million rubles, gave it to her daughter “for declaration,” and the daughter deposited the money into her own card.

But if you think the girl then transferred the money to a “safe account,” you underestimate the scammers’ creativity. To get the money, they gave her a fake “Central Bank” app and made her hold her phone up to a terminal.

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These elaborate schemes lasted not for an hour or a day, but almost three weeks. They didn’t just cover their tracks—they entangled them. Once the family’s savings were in their pockets, they told them to delete all apps and messages “for security”—though whose security is questionable. It was only then that the mother, worn out by fear, realized what had happened. The scammers behind this horrific performance could face up to 10 years in prison—if they are caught.

In just one day on November 5, eight residents of Voronezh Oblast fell victim to scammers, and three others had money stolen from their bank cards, with total losses of nearly 3 million rubles ($30,000 at current rates). Remember the key indicator: they always initiate contact first—meaning they want something from you.