Scammers Threaten Gas Cutoffs to Extort Money
«By threatening to cut off gas supplies as early as September 1, the perpetrators are forcing the replacement of valves, meters, or chimneys at prices inflated by 5–10 times, or taking advance payments for so-called 'urgent repairs' and then disappearing,' — officials from the press service of the 'Moshelovka' platform of the People's Front have revealed.
Consensus
- Scammers are impersonating gas company and management company employees.
- They threaten Russians with gas cutoffs due to alleged critical leaks or violations.
- They offer to replace gas valves, meters, or chimneys at prices 5–10 times higher than market rate.
- They collect advance payments for supposed urgent repairs and then disappear.
- They target residents by visiting homes or leaving fake notices in mailboxes.
- Residents are advised to verify the legitimacy of workers and check official sources for technical work schedules.
Points of divergence
- Scammers create fake school supply stores and prize draws before September 1 and call pretending to be couriers to obtain account data and SMS codes. — riamo
- Experts recommend checking technical work schedules on official websites and bulletin boards, demanding identification from workers, and verifying information with the management company or emergency dispatch service. — vesti
- Residents should not pay via bank transfer to a physical person's card. — vesti
- The scam is specifically timed to occur in August, with the threat of cutoffs by September 1. — riamo
Coverage (3 sources)
- Scammers invented a new fraud scheme with a threat of gas disconnection — РИАМО
- Russians warned of fraud in the guise of gas equipment inspection — Вести
- Scammers began threatening Russians with gas disconnection. — РИА Новости (Telegram)