Crypto scammers lured 22 million rubles from a Moscow pensioner

The criminals defrauded a 73-year-old Muscovite of money, allegedly for investing in cryptocurrencies, and also deprived him of housing in the center of the capital. The total damage from fraudulent activities amounted to 22 million rubles.

According to a RIA source familiar with the incident, on July 9, a pensioner turned to law enforcement agencies of the capital. In a statement, he indicated that he received a call in January with an offer to invest in digital assets. An elderly man believed the scammers, invested more than 10,000 euros. After some time, the criminal called again and said that his investment had increased to $180,000. However, in order to cash it out, an additional 6 million rubles had to be invested.

The man did not have that kind of money. The swindler offered the pensioner to connect him with a familiar entrepreneur and realtor. The first will allegedly provide the missing amount secured by real estate in the center of Moscow, and the second will help draw up the necessary documents for an apartment. Then the pensioner was contacted by another scammer who identified himself as a realtor. He gave the contacts of an entrepreneur who is ready to transfer the missing amount to withdraw money.

“The entrepreneur told the pensioner that he would be able to transfer the necessary amount to him. To do this, the applicant had to sign a contract. Later, the man found out that his apartment was re-registered for a new owner. The total damage amounted to 22 million rubles, the police are checking,” the source said.

Recall that in April, fraudsters stole 17.7 million rubles from three Muscovites. The victims tried to buy cryptocurrencies with this money, but they never received digital assets. In 2021, a 50-year-old resident of Yoshkar-Ola encountered scammers and lost 800,000 rubles while investing in cryptocurrencies.