"I was like under hypnosis." Real stories of Minsk residents whom scammers forced to sell their apartments — one sad, the other almost happy

Onliner.by tells two real stories from Minsk in which people suffered at the hands of criminals. One story is about pensioners who believed in an investigation into "black realtors" and lost their apartment in Malinovka; the other is about a deal that was stopped literally at the last moment.

The first story happened to an elderly married couple. One day, a stranger called them on a messenger app. He introduced himself as a law enforcement officer and stated that he was investigating a case of "black realtors" who fraudulently force people to sell their homes, then evict them and leave them without property or money.

— He immediately addressed them by their first name and patronymic. He offered to help with the investigation so that no one else would suffer, — says Onliner.by Alena (Deputy Head of the Legal Department of the real estate agency "Poverkhi", Alena Gerfurt). — To do this, they only needed to put their apartment up for sale in a test mode to catch the criminals red-handed. Of course, everything had to be kept in complete secrecy — it was forbidden to tell anyone about the operation. If either spouse had blabbed, the investigation could allegedly be jeopardized, and they would be held accountable as accomplices.

The frightened husband and wife, naturally, agreed. They posted the advertisement for the sale of their two-room apartment in Malinovka themselves, but under the control of the "police."

— They were dictated everything: how to photograph the apartment, what to write, what reason for selling to state. The price of the apartment was below market value — this also turned out to be part of the "operation" to make the criminals reveal themselves faster.

Павялічыць

The pensioners were instructed to answer calls, agree to viewings, and allow potential buyers and realtors into their home. When the husband and wife asked what to do if someone genuinely wanted to buy the property, they were reassured: yes, they would have to sell, but it was a temporary measure. In return, they would buy another apartment — a smaller one in a Minsk suburb, and the difference in money would be used to expose the fraudsters. After catching the "black realtors," their previous home was promised to be returned.

— Buyers for the apartment were found quite quickly. When it came to the deal, the "law enforcement officers" announced that they would assign their own person to them so that the pensioners wouldn't worry or get confused with documents. They explained that this person would help them understand, tell them where and what to sign, and would accompany them at all stages.

This didn't alarm the husband and wife. An unsettling moment arose during the signing of the sale and purchase agreement. The woman was unnerved when the man accompanying them immediately photographed the signed document and then either called someone or sent a voice message with the words "Well, it's started."

According to Alena, this same person helped the pensioners with the purchase of another apartment. They bought a one-room apartment in a suburb located in the Dzyarzhynsk direction. They were explained that this was temporary housing — for the time being. The husband and wife didn't even go to see it, limiting themselves to only photographs, and immediately concluded the deal.

The price difference amounted to approximately $50,000. These funds were recommended to the pensioners to deposit into their bank account and await further instructions. They didn't have to wait long: soon, the "law enforcement agencies" asked them to cash out the entire amount and transfer it to some "Ministry of Internal Affairs fund." The man met a courier in the city, handed over the money, and… at this point, contacts with the "police" unexpectedly ceased — the interlocutor stopped responding.

It was then that the husband and wife realized they had been deceived by scammers and told their daughter everything.

Павялічыць

— The daughter lives abroad and can only talk to her parents over the phone. She felt some tension in their conversations but attributed it to other reasons — age, fatigue, everyday worries. But one thing she noticed for sure: for the last month (which was how long the "secret operation" lasted), her mother and father were reluctant to communicate. When the parents confessed everything, the daughter contacted the agency. Her goal is to sell this one-room apartment in the suburbs, add her own money, and buy her parents a home in Minsk again.

The pensioners never filed a report with the real police — due to the stress they experienced, they don't want to delve into this story again.

Former IT specialist believed scammers and gave away all her money. The apartment was saved.

In December, a woman called the corporate number of a real estate agency, having decided to urgently sell an apartment in one of the new residential complexes. Within half an hour, she arrived at the office to sign an agreement with a realtor.

— She was a well-groomed, intelligent woman — you would never have thought she was over 70, — says Aksana. — She used to work as an IT specialist in Israel and returned to Belarus after retirement. In Minsk, she bought a home, did renovations… And now she decided to sell it because "she needed to go back to her daughter in Israel to resolve issues." She didn't specify what issues, and that made me a little wary…

Павялічыць

The client named a price for the apartment below market value — $70,000. Aksana was perplexed by this and suggested first looking at the property in person and only then agreeing on the price.

— The woman agreed — after all, she didn't want to lose money, despite the "urgency."

A few days later, the realtor came to the apartment — it was a 32-square-meter studio apartment (Euro-two-room) with a well-designed layout and a beautiful interior. Aksana suggested listing it for $85,000. To anticipate, let's say a buyer for that price was found quickly.

Павялічыць

The woman rejoiced that the property was worth more, but her behavior seemed illogical to the realtor. She said that acquaintances had recently offered her to babysit a child, and she agreed, even though, as you remember, she was planning to leave the country.

— When I asked if she had bought tickets (which is usually done at least a month before the flight), the woman waved her hand: "No, but that's not a problem." "And have you packed your things?" I continued. "Why bother, I'll leave a bunch of stuff, it's hot there, no need for outerwear."

But it can't be that someone would leave with an empty suitcase! Yet, the client behaved calmly, without any tension, always with a smile, but to me, her future just didn't add up. I alerted all my colleagues; everything seemed suspicious to me!

At the next stage, the realtor began clarifying registration issues: for the deal, it was necessary for the pensioner to deregister from her studio apartment (Euro-two-room). The woman stated that she wanted to retain her residence permit in Belarus and remain registered in her current apartment. However, selling a property with a registered owner is practically unrealistic — buyers do not agree to such terms. To the clarifying question of who would help with registration at her new place of residence, she answered evasively: she promised to "consult," but did not specify with whom.

— For elderly people, such behavior is unusual. They often say who they consult with — a neighbor, a friend, relatives.

Next, apartment viewings began. There were several potential buyers, among whom was a girl who planned to purchase the property on credit.

— I asked the owner how she felt about a credit transaction. At first, the woman refused, but after a couple of days, having consulted with someone, she agreed.

The buyer and seller met at the agency to conclude a preliminary agreement and transfer the deposit.

— My suspicions regarding fraud grew stronger. People, especially older ones, rarely participate in major financial operations alone. They usually worry and bring relatives with them, but here the person came alone.

Павялічыць

The realtor asked clarifying questions: where were the relatives, how to contact them, did they know about the situation. The client promised to provide her daughter's phone number, but it later turned out that the daughter had no idea about the upcoming real estate transaction.

— I started explaining that there are situations when fraudsters call people, introduce themselves as state employees, and ask for help — to hand over money, sell an apartment… When asked if she had encountered such a thing, the client replied that she would not discuss it.

Then she stepped out for five minutes and, upon returning, finally confessed: "It seems I really am being led by fraudsters." While the realtor and the client sat alone in the office, unknown callers kept ringing her phone.

— She picks up the phone and hears: "What are you making up? You've seen the documents, you know who you're talking to. The scammers are in that agency, leave there immediately." The woman couldn't end the conversation herself. It was as if she was under hypnosis.

Then I reassured her: "Alright, we are not selling the apartment, but tell me honestly: have you already given them money?" She turned pale.

It turned out that unknown individuals had called her on a messenger app and informed her that the agreement for a "locking device" had expired. To extend it, personal data, specifically a passport photo, was required. "I don't mind sharing my residence permit, it's not an Israeli passport, so I sent the photo," the client later explained. Immediately after this, another person called, introducing himself as a KGB lieutenant colonel.

— He stated that she had just given her personal data to fraudsters and now urgently needed to protect her savings by depositing them into a special account at the National Bank. Afterward, a supposed bank employee called her. Both men spoke very competently, elegantly, but in a commanding tone and insisted that the woman keep Telegram constantly active. They showed her identification (fake, of course), made video calls from their offices, where a state flag, coat of arms, and a portrait of Lukashenka hung… In general, the settings were quite realistic.

Павялічыць

As a result, the pensioner handed over all her money to a courier — $8,000 and about 4,500 rubles.

— To dull her vigilance, the fraudsters even sent her a window in Telegram with two icons: one said "dollars," the other "rubles." She clicked on dollars and saw exactly the amount she had sent. This reassured her — meaning the money was somewhere.

The next stage of the scheme was the apartment deal. The woman was explained that her home could be seized by fraudsters, so the only way to save it was to urgently change the inventory number. And to do this, she needed to sell the home. Allegedly, upon sale, the number would change, and then the apartment would be returned to her with a new inventory number.

— In reality, an inventory number is assigned to a real estate object only once — at the moment of its creation — and does not change during any transactions, including sale and purchase.

According to the realtor, the scammers completely controlled the pensioner's actions, including the choice of buyer.

— The woman told the "KGB lieutenant colonel" that there was a girl whose parents were taking out a loan with Belarusbank… But in response, she heard: "Don't worry, the National Bank will resolve everything with the loan, and the girl will be offered a better apartment."

However, this plan could not be fully realized. Thanks to the vigilance of the real estate agency employees, the deal never went through, and the pensioner went to write a statement to the District Department of Internal Affairs (RUUS).

But even there, the scammers continued to call her and convince her that the real criminals were the people around her. A real police officer had to block them — the woman herself couldn't do it.

The buyer, upon learning what was happening, was shocked and began to suspect that she was simply being defrauded. The agency provided a certificate from the District Department of Internal Affairs (RUUS) stating that the seller was recognized as a victim of fraudulent activities. The buyer's deposit was returned, and the deal was canceled. The apartment remained the woman's property.

After communicating with law enforcement, the pensioner gradually recovered and stopped all contact with the scammers.

— I was in a difficult state, as if under hypnosis, — she later confessed to the realtor.

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