A man from Kirov agreed to become a courier for scammers and collect 250,000 rubles from a pensioner.

      The Russian Interior Ministry’s directorate for the Kirov Region reported that the crime involved a 32-year-old resident of Kirov who acted as a courier.

      The day before, an unknown caller phoned the pensioner, posing as an investigator. He said the woman’s daughter had allegedly been responsible for a traffic accident that injured someone, and offered to “resolve the matter” — to pay for the treatment to avoid criminal liability. Believing the caller, the elderly woman packed a bag with personal belongings and 250,000 rubles and handed it to a taxi driver who had come to her home.

      The bag later ended up with the suspect in the criminal case. According to the police, the man was acting on instructions from an unidentified handler. He was supposed to send the money to the specified account details but did not have time — he was detained by police officers.

      It turned out the suspect had been looking online for ways to earn money. Unknown individuals had promised him a reward of 10% of the transferred sum. The money was seized and returned to the victim.

      A criminal case has been opened under part 2 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud); the investigation is ongoing.