In Yekaterinburg, a couple lost 11 million rubles and their apartment after a call from the factory director.

      In Yekaterinburg a 76-year-old woman and her 74-year-old common-law husband fell victim to telephone scammers, losing 11.5 million rubles, including proceeds from the sale of an apartment. For more than two months the fraudsters played a "game" with them, posing as FSB and Central Bank employees.

      Photo: Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for Yekaterinburg

      Although real police repeatedly stopped the elderly couple from withdrawing large sums, and even department heads of the Interior Ministry personally tried to persuade them not to trust strangers, the couple continued to communicate with the con artists. The scammers forced them to change SIM cards, after which communication resumed.

      The story began in the summer: a man called the woman, introducing himself as the former director of the factory where she had worked for 40 years. His voice and a photo in the messenger convinced the pensioner that it really was him. The "director" spoke about a certain "prompartiya" — a group of saboteurs who allegedly steal money from former workers of the enterprise and transfer it abroad. Then "Major FSB Groshev" contacted the woman via video call, showed his ID and warned about the confidentiality of the conversation. When the pensioner's partner doubted what was happening, the "officer" sharply shut down his objections.

      The couple was then drawn into "operational activities." They constantly reported their actions to the "handlers," even asking for permission to go to the shop. Under their pressure the elderly people were persuaded to sell the apartment on Dekabristov Street, withdraw all their savings and transfer the money to so‑called "Central Bank safe accounts."

      Each time the couple tried to cash large sums, the banks called the police. At the branches the pensioners swore they would stop communicating with strangers, but after returning home the scammers assured them it had all been a test and insisted they continue the "operation."

      In the end, after selling the apartment and handing millions to a "courier," contact with the "FSB employees" was cut off. Messages in the messenger began to disappear, and only after a call to the real Central Bank did the pensioner realize they had been deceived the whole time.

      The total damage amounted to 11.5 million rubles: 2.6 million — the woman's personal savings, 5.4 million — proceeds from the sale of the apartment, and 3.5 million — her partner's funds.

      A criminal case has been opened.