Scammers Use 'Superhero Game' to Target Teenagers

The story of the «kidnapping» of 14-year-old Nikolai Kaplya in Krasnoyarsk ended safely — the boy was found alive less than a day later. But the three million rubles (approx. $30,000 at current rates) that he himself took from home and gave to strangers cannot be simply returned. How did it happen that a teenager from a well-off family broke into his parents« safes and left with an unknown girl to follow instructions from a voice on the phone?

An NGS24.RU correspondent spoke with Veronika Pugacheva — coordinator of psychosocial support for the population at the regional branch of the Russian Red Cross in Krasnoyarsk Krai, senior lecturer at the Department of Developmental Psychology and Counseling at the Institute of Psychology, Pedagogy, and Sociology of Siberian Federal University (IPPS SFU).

«I Don»t Understand What to Do, But I Know Exactly What to Do«

According to the psychologist, adolescence is one of the most difficult periods in a person«s life. A child is no longer a child but not yet an adult. It is important for them to feel »I am independent, I can do it.«

— Modern scammers master techniques of neuro-linguistic programming. They know how to convey information to teenagers correctly — so that they start doubting themselves and their parents« actions. And a teenager already doubts them due to age, — explains Veronika Pugacheva. — If they are told that it is necessary to do this to save the lives of loved ones, they calmly go and do it.

The state that a teenager falls into under the pressure of scammers, the psychologist calls dissociation: «I don»t understand what to do, but I know exactly what to do. If I do this — everything will be good.«

Why He Didn«t Call Mom and Dad

In the case of Nikolai Kaplya, scammers intimidated him by saying that his older brother would be expelled from the educational institution, and the family«s reputation would suffer. But why didn»t the boy call his parents when he realized that something strange was happening?

— A parent can never be the main source of help for a teenager, — says the psychologist. — At this age, a child does not trust the parent, even if they had wonderful relations before. This is not about a specific family — it is a feature of age. A teenager always tries to solve the problem on their own.

Scammers know this perfectly and use it. A typical manipulation scenario sounds like this: «You are an adult and independent. You know exactly how to help your parents. Let»s quickly do everything — and they will never know how bad it was. Instead, they will find out what a great guy you are.«

— Here, it was not intimidation that worked, but the offer to feel like a superhero who can save everyone, — believes Veronika Pugacheva.

Why the Scheme Needed a Girl from Surgut

According to the investigation, the 18-year-old girl from Surgut also became a victim of scammers — she was told about an account hack and convinced to fly to Krasnoyarsk. But for Nikolai, her appearance potentially played a fatal role.

— When an older person appears nearby who participates in the actions, the teenager thinks: «An adult has come to me — so I am definitely doing everything right. Even adults trust me,» — explains the psychologist. — This enhances the authoritarian nature of what is happening and gives the teenager a sense of significance that parents sometimes do not provide due to overprotection.

What to Do If Your Child Gets into Such a Situation

If a parent receives strange messages from a child with requests to fulfill some demands — the first thing to do is to contact the police.

— Solving issues with scammers on your own — is always wrong. They will make sure that you get dragged in even deeper. Starting with three million rubles (approx. $30,000 at current rates), you can lose everything, — warns Veronika Pugacheva.

After the situation is resolved, it is important not to blame the child.

— Under no circumstances should you say: «You should have called me!» This is not about distrust of you. At the moment when scammers pressure — «faster, stronger, sooner we need to save» — the thought to call someone does not occur to anyone. Even people with several higher educations and high positions.

If the parent themselves does not know how to behave after such an event, the psychologist advises turning to a specialist. The main thing — is to understand, accept, and support the child, not to look for the guilty.

Recall that a similar case occurred in Krasnoyarsk Krai in March 2025. Then scammers forced a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Achinsk to stage her own kidnapping — the girl recorded a video in a cemetery and asked her parents for 500 thousand rubles (approx. $5,000 at current rates) as «ransom». She was also found alive, but this story showed: schemes involving teenagers are becoming more and more sophisticated.