Nizhny Novgorod police shut down a fraudulent scheme involving deception of furniture buyers.

      Citizens who encountered fraud when attempting to purchase upholstered furniture contacted the police in Nizhny Novgorod. It was established that from August to December 2024, scammers offered furniture ordering and delivery services. While entering into buy-sell agreements with clients, they demanded full prepayment but failed to fulfill their obligations. Law enforcement learned of at least 51 residents of Nizhny Novgorod who lost money and never received the promised goods. The total material damage amounted to 1,995,750 rubles. Thanks to coordinated actions by investigators from the Investigative Department of the Nizhny Novgorod Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and officers from the OEBiPK Department of Police No. 2 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Nizhny Novgorod, the accused for customer fraud—a 31-year-old company founder and a 32-year-old company manager offering furniture sales—are being criminally charged. The scammers provided confessional statements. The Investigative Department for Crime Investigation in the Kanavinsky District of the Nizhny Novgorod Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs continues to investigate a criminal case initiated under Part 3 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud). At the request of the investigator, the court imposed a house arrest measure on the defendants. Already, funds transferred by more than 41 residents—over 1.45 million rubles—have been recovered. The investigation is ongoing: additional episodes of criminal activity and methods of compensating other victims are being established. The offenders face a maximum sentence of up to 6 years in prison. Law enforcement agencies remind: when entering into contracts with legal entities, it is necessary to verify the company's reputation and history of activities. In case of suspected fraud, immediate contact with the police is advised.