Kirov residents have given scammers almost 870 million rubles since the beginning of the year.

      Since the beginning of 2026, 2,323 residents of the Kirov region have fallen victim to remote scammers. The total amount of money stolen from them reached 869.6 million rubles, the regional prosecutor's office reported.

      In just the last week, the number of victims increased by 143 people. During the same period, scammers deceived residents of the region out of another 56.7 million rubles.

      The criminals continue to pose as employees of various organizations and agencies. Among them are the prosecutor's office, the FSB, the tax service, the Central Bank, "Gosuslugi," "Russian Post," and Energy Supply. In some cases, the scammers pretended to be workers at children's health camps.

      To communicate, the criminals use not only phone calls but also messengers. To convince the victim of their identity, they may send photos of fake IDs, certificates, and other documents.

      Some schemes involve so-called couriers who help the criminals collect money or deliver necessary documents.

      Scammers also utilize artificial intelligence capabilities. With its help, they can substitute the image and voice of the interlocutor, including imitating the voice of a relative.

      The Kirov regional prosecutor's office is taking measures to recover the stolen funds. Since the beginning of the year, the agency has filed 752 lawsuits in courts to recover money from account holders used in criminal schemes. Additionally, 53 lawsuits have been filed to declare invalid the loan agreements entered into by victims under the influence of deception.