A 20-Year-Old Man Had His Apartment Stolen by Scammers via Phone Call 0 8

A 20-year-old resident of Ussuriysk became a victim of scammers. He believed he was speaking with a postal employee, according to media reports.

The fraudsters contacted the young man through a messenger. In the call, a woman introduced herself as an employee of the post office and asked him to dictate a code from an SMS supposedly to confirm the shipment of a package. In the next call, the scammers, posing as bank and law enforcement officials, told the young man that by providing the code, he had given criminals access to his personal data. By that time, they claimed, the perpetrators could already have accessed the 20-year-old's bank savings and real estate.

The callers recommended protecting his assets by transferring his savings to a "safe account." They also coerced the young man into taking out a loan for half a million rubles (about five thousand euros) — this money also went to the scammers' accounts. Additionally, for "safety" reasons, he was strongly advised to sell his apartment. The transaction, as promised, would be conducted fictitiously and would help identify a gang of unscrupulous realtors. For the apartment, the 20-year-old received 3.4 million rubles (about 35 thousand euros), which he exchanged for cryptocurrency and similarly transferred to the "safe account." Realizing what had happened, the resident contacted the police. A criminal case has been initiated.