An elderly man from Dzerzhinsk lost 8.5 million rubles after a call from scammers.

      Scammers intimidated an elderly man and convinced him to "save" his savings

      A pensioner from Dzerzhinsk lost 8.5 million rubles after a call from fraudsters.

      Photo: Evgenia GUSEVA. Go to the Photo Bank KP

      A 78-year-old man from Dzerzhinsk became a victim of phone scammers and lost a large sum – over 8.5 million rubles. Unknown individuals called the pensioner, introduced themselves as law enforcement officers, and claimed that his accounts were allegedly being hacked, reported the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod region.

      The frightened man believed the criminals and began to act according to their instructions. First, he withdrew all his personal savings, and then borrowed money from relatives. The pensioner transferred the received funds to the accounts dictated by the scammers, which they called "safe."

      As a result, the total damage amounted to 8,551,750 rubles. After the transfer, communication with the "officers" was cut off, and the man realized that he had fallen victim to a scam. A criminal case has been initiated regarding the incident, and operational search activities are currently underway. The police remind: criminals are increasingly using the scheme of "account protection." Residents of the region are asked to warn elderly relatives – real bank and law enforcement officers never require transferring money to third-party accounts.

      Evgenia FROLOVA