Volgograd swindler deceives Ryazan woman, detained on train

Operatives managed to find and detain a courier for online scammers who may be involved in stealing money from a 74-year-old resident of Mikhailov. She was deceived using a classic scheme: callers posing as law enforcement officers claimed that her cash savings could be seized if not declared.

The pensioner believed them, and the «law enforcement officers» offered to help declare the money. For this, the Ryazan woman had to hand over the cash to a «bank employee» who came to her home. She gave 334,000 rubles (approximately $3,300 at current rates) to the young man. The savings were promised to be returned later, but this did not happen.

After numerous interrogations, police identified the guy who collected the money. He turned out to be an 18-year-old resident of Volgograd: he had previously gotten a job as a courier for a foreign call center via the internet. Following the curator«s instructions, the young man traveled to various cities, collected cash, and transferred it to a specified account, receiving a percentage from this.

«It has been established that the man is involved in several frauds against residents of different regions,» said the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Ryazan Region.

Ryazan police passed information about the courier to colleagues from Volgograd. And they found out that the guy was just traveling on a train from Moscow to his hometown. The young man was detained right in the transport.

A criminal case has now been initiated under the article «Fraud.» The investigation is ongoing.