In Izhevsk, a 64-year-old woman became the victim of a long-term fraudulent scheme, which culminated in an attempt to set fire to a local police department. The perpetrators manipulated the pensioner for several months, convincing her of the need for their actions.

Since October last year, Svetlana has been receiving regular calls from unknown people who introduced themselves as "bank employees." They reported alleged threats to her savings and strongly recommended that she transfer the money to "safe" accounts. Having given in to their persuasion, the woman transferred about 400 thousand rubles to the scammers.

After this, people who introduced themselves as "counterintelligence officers" contacted her. They said that in order to prevent further threats, it was necessary to conduct a special operation to test the vigilance of local law enforcement agencies. On February 13, they instructed Svetlana to set fire to the police building, choosing the following date for this - February 14.

On the appointed day, the woman came to the police station with a backpack containing a bottle of flammable liquid and a lighter. Inside the building, she spilled the liquid and set it on fire. Fortunately, the fire was quickly extinguished, no one was hurt. Svetlana was detained at the scene.

This case is not isolated. Recently, a wave of crimes committed under the influence of telephone scammers has swept across Russia. Criminals, posing as employees of various organizations, convince citizens to commit illegal acts. Thus, in St. Petersburg, 76-year-old pensioner Galina Ivanova was sentenced to 10 years in prison for setting fire to a car near a military registration and enlistment office. Fraudsters, posing as employees of banks and special services, tricked her into taking out loans in the amount of more than 500 thousand rubles, and then convinced her to commit arson. When detained, the woman threatened to set herself and others on fire, shouting slogans in support of Ukraine. The court found her guilty of committing a terrorist act.