In St. Petersburg, 88-year-old Galina Ivanovna, who survived the siege, became a victim of fraudsters, losing 13,2 million rubles. The criminals, posing as employees of various organizations, convinced the pensioner that her funds were allegedly being transferred to finance the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and demanded that she "declare" the money.

The first call came on January 20 from people who introduced themselves as Rostelecom employees. They requested passport details and SNILS to change the phone number. The next day, a call came from the "military prosecutor's office" with a message that funds were being transferred to Ukraine in the name of the pensioner and to prevent this, it was necessary to urgently "declare" all savings.

On the same day, a girl came to Galina Ivanovna, to whom she gave cash in rubles, dollars and euros. However, a few minutes later the stranger returned the money, saying that another person would take it. Later, the "security forces" again contacted the pensioner, asking her to take the money outside to give it to the "responsible person". By January 31, the woman gave away all her household savings and withdrew money from her bank account, giving the scammers a total of 13,2 million rubles. Realizing the deception, she contacted the police.

The case reflects a growing number of fraudulent schemes targeting older people. Fraudsters often pose as employees of official organizations, such as the Russian Social Fund or Rostelecom, to gain the victim's trust. They use various pretexts, including reports of unrecorded work experience or the need to recalculate pensions, to trick people into giving up personal information and money.

In January 2025, State Duma deputy Sergei Gavrilov warned of a new fraud scheme involving pension points. "Black" consultants promise to increase pensions by recalculating points, citing alleged errors in the work of the Social Fund. They demand that citizens provide personal data or pay for "services" for recalculation, which leads to financial losses.