In Vologda, a 67-year-old pensioner fell victim to a sophisticated fraudulent scheme, losing all her savings in the amount of 17 million rubles. This was reported by the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, emphasizing that the criminals used complex tactics of psychological pressure, posing as trusted persons and law enforcement officers. The incident, which occurred in May 2025, became one of the largest cases of fraud in the Vologda region in recent years and exposed the problem of the vulnerability of elderly citizens to scammers.

According to the investigation, the fraudsters contacted the woman by phone, introducing themselves as her former boss. The criminal said that unknown people were trying to steal her money and property, and that urgent action was needed to protect them. Then another person, who called himself a police officer, began communicating with the pensioner. Under his guidance, the woman cashed out all her savings accumulated over the years and transferred them to the bank accounts specified by the fraudsters. In addition, she was convinced to sell her car, allegedly to protect the funds from the scammers. The proceeds also went to the criminals' accounts.

At the next stage, the fraudsters resorted to a new trick, telling the woman that information about her case had allegedly leaked to the media, and to restore justice, they would ceremoniously return the sold car to her. To organize the "ceremony," the pensioner was convinced to book a banquet in one of the elite restaurants in Vologda, which cost her an additional 350 thousand rubles. After transferring this amount, the fraudsters stopped communicating, leaving the woman without money and property. The total damage, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, amounted to 17 million rubles. Law enforcement agencies opened a criminal case under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud), but the identities of the criminals have not yet been established.

The Vologda case is part of a worrying trend of growing fraud in Russia, particularly targeting the elderly. In 2024, more than 1,5 million cases of telephone fraud were registered in the country, with damages from such crimes exceeding 156 billion rubles.