Saratov Woman Loses 18.5M Rubles in Fake 'House Chat' Scam
A 51-year-old woman from Saratov lost over 18.5 million rubles after being tricked into joining a fake 'house chat' and subsequently pressured by scammers posing as law enforcement to transfer funds. The fraud involved fake notifications about account breaches and fabricated legal proceedings.
Consensus
- A 51-year-old woman from the Kirovsky District of Saratov was defrauded of over 18.5 million rubles.
- The scam began with the woman being added to a fake 'house chat' in a messaging app.
- She was instructed to enter her phone number and SMS code for a supposed housing inspection.
- She received a message claiming her 'Gosuslugi' account was hacked and that power of attorney documents had been issued in her and her daughter's names.
- A caller claiming to be from a security agency demanded she declare her savings and send valuables to a 'safe account'.
- She transferred 949,000 rubles from personal savings and 577,000 rubles from selling jewelry.
- She was later told she owed a 1.5 million ruble fine for leaking information about a criminal case.
- Over 10 days, she was tricked into transferring money under various pretexts, including paying off loans for her children.
- She borrowed 17 million rubles from relatives and friends to fulfill the demands.
- An investigation was opened by the regional MVD.
Points of divergence
- The woman received a notification via email about a 1.5 million ruble penalty for disclosing information about a criminal case. — vesti
- The woman borrowed 17 million rubles specifically from friends and relatives, with no mention of the exact amount being used for loan repayments. — tg_rian_ru
Coverage (2 sources)
- Saratov resident lost 18.5 million after joining a fake house chat — Вести
- Saratov resident paid over 18 million rubles to scammers to join a 'neighborhood chat'. — РИА Новости (Telegram)