Fraudsters connect AI and couriers: Kirov residents handed over 493 million to scammers.

      The Kirov region prosecutor's office has updated the statistics on remote thefts. In 2026, 1,567 residents of the region fell victim to fraudsters. Just in the past week, another 128 people were added to this number. The total amount stolen reached 493.7 million rubles, of which 45.1 million was taken in the last seven days.

      What legends do criminals use? The list includes employees of the prosecutor's office, the FSB, the tax service, the Central Bank, the "Gosuslugi" portal, the post office, and energy sales. To convince the victim, they send photos of fake IDs and certificates via messengers.

      Particular concern is raised by new methods. Firstly, fraudsters use artificial intelligence to alter images or voices — even imitating the voice of a close relative. Secondly, the schemes involve "live couriers": third parties come personally for the money and hand over fake documents to the victims, creating an appearance of legality.

      The Kirov region prosecutor's office is already acting proactively. In the interests of socially vulnerable victims, 554 lawsuits have been filed to recover money from the account holders to whom the stolen amounts were transferred (plus 24 lawsuits in the last week). Another 25 lawsuits have been filed to declare invalid the loan agreements entered into by victims under the influence of deception.

      "Citizens, be careful. Each time, fraudsters resort to new tricks to swindle your savings," warns the supervisory agency.