Tobacco Scammer Defrauds Yekaterinburg Residents of Millions

Four Yekaterinburg residents, including two women and a stage four cancer patient, have filed a police report against businessman Anton A., the owner of several vape shops. They accuse him of deceit and fraud. According to them, the entrepreneur offered them to invest money in his business, promised large payouts from profits, and then disappeared. The victims were left without money and with loans. We provide the details.

Invested 1.9 Million to Receive 400,000 Monthly

Lev works as a dentist and is battling stage four cancer. He says he met Anton at the end of 2024. The businessman talked about the high profits of his vape shop, located on Vainer Street, up to six million rubles (about $66,700 at current rates) a month. Lev decided it would be good to invest in new outlets. He was promised dividends of 400,000 rubles (about $4,400) per month.

“I borrowed about a million rubles (about $11,100) from a friend and also invested my savings. My friend, also a dentist, got interested and invested his 500,000 rubles (about $5,600). In total, we gave 1.9 million rubles (about $21,100) to Anton, but received nothing after a month or a year. From the stress, my metastases started again; I was in remission before that,” Lev told E1.RU.

According to Lev, the agreement was verbal because Anton made a good impression. Only transfers for part of the money were saved (most of the money was given in cash).

“Gave Away Credit Card and iPhone”

Two other complainants against Anton are women. Kristina works as an engineer; she met the businessman through a friend.

“He said he was engaged in the sale of tobacco products, stated that he wanted to open a new outlet. He offered to invest for opening a new point, promising dividends,” Kristina wrote in her explanation for the police.

According to her, she obtained a credit card and gave it to the man.

“I periodically wrote to Anton and asked when the money would start coming in. He answered that I needed to wait, as soon as the store opens, profit will come, and all the money will be returned. I believed him,” the girl explains.

She said that at the businessman«s request, she took out a loan for an iPhone 16 Pro Max for him. He promised to return the money for it, pay off another loan, but made only a few payments. As a result, Kristina was left with debts and had to pay them off herself from her salary.

“Until 31 January 2025, I thought he would return my money. He postponed the date, started responding less often, and then disappeared. I realized he had deceived me,” the girl reported to the police.

Kristina lost about 900,000 rubles (about $10,000), and her friend Nastya lost 800,000 rubles (about $8,900).

Anton«s Version

E1.RU contacted the businessman. He rejected the accusations and said that his retail outlets were already closed.

“This is nonsense, it didn«t happen. No one gave me money, and where there were transfers to my cards, there are reverse transfers. I am ready to provide them to the police if I am summoned,” Anton said.

According to him, the four complainants are lying because of legal disputes with another businessman, Ruslan S.

“This is a gang of fraudsters, Ruslan and his employees. He owes me money—4.5 million rubles (about $50,000). To avoid paying, he is trying to pressure me and persuaded these people. In fact, nothing happened, I don«t even know these people,” Anton stated.

As E1.RU found out, Anton A. was convicted in 2015 for large-scale fraud. From the verdict of the Yugorsky District Court, it follows that he was an individual entrepreneur and provided real estate purchase and sale services, but appropriated others« money and disappeared. For two proven episodes, the Ural resident received three years in a colony.

Police Department No. 9 refused to initiate a case. In the refusal available to the editorial office (from April 2025), it is stated that to make a decision, it is necessary to establish Anton«s whereabouts and interview him.

The Yekaterinburg UMVD refrained from commenting at the time of publication.

Earlier we told how a woman was accused of fraud using the «Dolinaya scheme.»

All about how fraudsters deceive Ural residents, we tell in a special section.