VTB bank has issued a warning to Russians regarding a novel fraudulent scheme. The bank reports that scammers are now coercing their victims into leaving their cash savings in mailboxes under the false premise of protecting the funds.
Following a pattern seen in previous scams, the fraudsters typically impersonate bank employees or law enforcement officers. They convince the target that their money is under threat of theft and urgently needs to be secured. The victim is then instructed to place all their funds into their personal mailbox or a specific correspondence box at a designated address and apartment number provided by the criminals.
Once the money is deposited in the specified location, it is subsequently retrieved by an accomplice acting as a courier.
Dmitry Revyakin, Vice President at VTB, stressed the importance of vigilance: “It is crucial to remember that your money can only be safely stored in the account you physically opened with your servicing bank.”
