Teen Used by Scammers Faces Prison Term
A 17-year-old Muscovite fell victim to scammers and now faces a prison colony
A 17-year-old Muscovite who was deceived by phone scammers is now accused of theft. In an interview with an MSK1.RU correspondent, the teenager«s father said the investigator refuses to order an expert evaluation that could prove his son acted under psychological pressure. Two apartments belonging to the family have already been seized.
A school reference letter from the school attended by Ivan (name changed)
How Scammers Deceived a Straight-A Student and Athlete
Scammers instructed their «freelance FSB employee» throughout the entire operation
It all began on July 21. Ivan (the minor«s name has been changed) received a call from a »children«s polyclinic» asking him to read out an SMS code — and immediately the scammers gained access to his account on Gosuslugi (the Russian government services portal). Then people who identified themselves as FSB officers contacted the teenager.
They claimed that a power of attorney had been issued in his name to a person linked to extremists, and that bank accounts opened through it were being used for illegal transactions. They said he was already entangled in a criminal case, and the only way to atone was to follow their instructions.
As the teenager«s father, Alexander, recounted, the criminals kept in contact with the boy almost around the clock, even at night, showed identification documents, forced him to sign non-disclosure agreements, and then registered him as a »freelance FSB employee.« He was forbidden from telling his parents — they »as entrepreneurs« would face severe punishment, and their accounts would be frozen.
«At that moment the child sincerely believed he was carrying out lawful instructions from representatives of the state; he was as if hypnotized,» says the accused teenager«s father. »Believe me, he is no fool. Not every adult could withstand such pressure. What can you say about a child with a fragile psyche?«
As Alexander emphasizes, his son is a straight-A student who participates in academic olympiads and sports competitions, plays hockey, knows two foreign languages, and does volunteer work. Ivan is also described only positively at school. The young man dreams of enrolling at MGIMO (Moscow State Institute of International Relations).
On July 23, the scammers gave him his final assignment. The teenager arrived at an address where a young woman was waiting for him. She was also under the control of the fraudsters and voluntarily handed him the keys to her parents« apartment and showed him where the safe was.
The boy bought tools — the scammers sent photos of the required store and a shopping list — broke open the safe, took the money, got into a taxi, and handed it to another young man — who was also most likely a victim of the same scam.
«They are forced to act in stages, in separate tasks, without being allowed to see the whole picture,» the father explains.
What Is Happening Now
In a conversation with an MSK1.RU correspondent, the father clarified that Ivan has now received a formal charge in the opened case.
«He is at home now. He has been placed under a ban on certain actions. We got lucky,» the father said.
Initially the case was classified under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code (fraud on an especially large scale), but was later reclassified to Part 4, Point «b» of Article 158 of the Criminal Code — theft on an especially large scale. This article carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.
«We Will Write to Bastrykin»
The family«s lawyers have already requested a comprehensive psychological and psychiatric evaluation that could show Ivan acted under psychological pressure.
As the father told an MSK1.RU correspondent, the evaluation was conducted, but «without the control questions we wanted.»
«We are shouting from every rooftop to achieve this, because the investigator does not want to do it. We will write an appeal to Bastrykin,» the man stated.
According to the family«s lawyers, the investigation is »proceeding at an unusually high speed.«
«As a rule, criminal cases with this many participants, circumstances, and episodes require several months of thorough investigative work — on average from 3 to 6 months. In our case, the investigation actually plans to complete the inquiry in just 3 weeks,» the man says.
The teenager broke into the safe on July 23, and the charge was filed on August 13 — 3 weeks later.
The family«s lawyers attribute such a compressed timeline to possible pressure from the victim — who, according to Alexander, holds a high position in one of the Ministries.
On the Seizure of Property and Attempts to Contact the Victim
The family has not yet contacted the victim«s side.
«Ivan is banned from contacting them under the restriction order. And we… Honestly, I still don»t know what to say to him. We probably do need to make contact, but I think that will be next week,« the accused»s father said.
Alexander added that even if they manage to explain the situation to the victim, the case will not be closed «by reconciliation of the parties.»
«He won»t withdraw the statement; criminal cases don«t close that way. The only thing the victim can do is write a document stating he has no claims against my son. That could be useful for the trial. But he will most likely file a civil claim,» the teenager«s father said.
«My Son Is a Victim of a Cynical Scheme»
The father acknowledges that damage was caused, but insists his son is not guilty.
«My son is also a victim. A victim of a cold, calculated, cynical scheme in which a minor child was used as a tool,» Alexander stated.
As Alexander emphasizes, the young woman who gave Ivan the keys to her parents« apartment, where the teenager broke into the safe, is listed in the case as a witness. She, like Ivan, acted on the instructions of the scammers, but she does not face criminal prosecution.
This is far from the only case in which scammers commit crimes through teenagers. Similar cases have been recorded across the country. Everywhere the scammers follow the same scheme: they hack Gosuslugi, call posing as FSB officers, intimidate or win trust, and then force the person to commit a crime.
«We have had conversations with him about scammers many times, and it seemed we were protected. It turned out we were not. Believe me, this story could happen to anyone,» the father concluded.
MSK1.RU has sent a request to the Investigative Committee and the police.
Earlier, a Muscovite woman deceived by scammers set fire to her own apartment when bailiffs came to evict her.
