A 40-year-old woman from Chelyabinsk lost not only her savings but also her home – all because of a phone call. First, scammers swindled 40,000 rubles from her, then convinced her that the only way to get the money back was… to set fire to her own flat and record the „damage” for the insurer.
An incredible story from Chelyabinsk. A 40-year-old woman fell victim to phone scammers who first swindled 40,000 rubles from her, and then persuaded her to set fire to her own flat. When she realised she had lost the money, one of the scammers offered her an alleged way to recover her losses. He convinced her that if she set fire to the bed and recorded the whole incident, she would receive a huge compensation payment from the insurer. The woman carried out all instructions during a video broadcast. The scammer guided her step by step, telling her where to pour the petrol and when to set the flat on fire. As the fire began to spread rapidly, the situation became deadly dangerous. According to reports, when the room began to fill with smoke, the man on the other end of the phone tried to convince her that she had to stay inside for a few minutes so that „the insurance would recognise the damage”. The woman ultimately ignored his orders and fled the burning flat. Firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene. The residents of the building had to be evacuated, and the woman’s flat was almost completely destroyed. Instead of the promised insurance money, the woman was made the subject of proceedings conducted by Russian authorities. Investigators are also examining whether the scammers deliberately tried to cause her death.
How did the dramatic arson happen?
The woman first fell victim to a classic call centre scam. The criminals manipulated her and swindled the equivalent of about 450-550 dollars. When she realised what had happened, the scammers did not disappear – they offered a „solution”.
They convinced her that an insurance company would pay a huge compensation if she deliberately started a fire, recorded everything on video and documented the damage. The woman started a live broadcast. The scammer directed her step by step: he told her to set the bed on fire, throw papers into the flames and… stay in the burning room for a few minutes „for the procedure”.
It was only when smoke filled the flat and the woman began to choke that she fled. Firefighters evacuated 10 residents from the block. Nobody was injured, but the flat burned out completely. Instead of compensation, the case is now in the hands of the police.
