Scammer detained for “borrowing” money from residents of luxury residential complexes in Yekaterinburg for a “bribe” (VIDEO)

      An itinerant con man has been detained in Yekaterinburg. The detainee, a 41-year-old resident of Novosibirsk, is suspected of stealing money from random passersby, the press office of the Russian Interior Ministry in Yekaterinburg reported on Tuesday.

      Several complaints had previously been filed with the police by local residents reporting that an unknown man had taken money from them. In each case the encounters took place in crowded locations: on the street, in the lobbies of high-end residential complexes, and in a shopping center. The complainants said they had never met the perpetrator before.

      The con man asked to be lent several tens of thousands of rubles, each time inventing a different story. For example, he complained that his car had been towed and he needed to pay a bribe to get it back, or he presented himself as a shopping center administrator and asked for cash to urgently settle a bill with a repair crew.

      He spoke so convincingly that the victims withdrew money from ATMs and handed over the required sums. He would thank them profusely and promise to return everything shortly. Surveillance footage shows the con man effortlessly slipping away from the scene with cash in his hands.

      The man was identified and detained by detectives from Police Department No. 5. He turned out to be an itinerant con man from Novosibirsk with a prior conviction. A criminal case has been opened against him under Part 2 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Fraud). The suspect has been placed in custody.

      So far four statements have been filed with the internal affairs authorities. The police are investigating additional episodes of the detainee’s criminal activity and ask anyone who suffered from this person’s actions to contact Police Department No. 5 (119 Sacco and Vanzetti St.). Duty station phone: (343) 356-42-05.