“I was in a fog”: a pensioner from Moscow is trying to challenge a loan issued by fraudsters for 1.2 million rubles

In the spring of 2020, when self-isolation was announced for pensioners due to the coronavirus pandemic, Muscovite Marina Ostankovich lived in a dacha with her grandson.

On the afternoon of May 18, an unfamiliar man called her and introduced himself as Alexander Vorontsov, a Rosbank security officer.

He told the woman that a large loan had been issued in her name.

The identified telephone number really belonged to one of the branches of the bank, the pensioner notes.

“I was in a very bad condition then: after a heart operation, my brother was admitted to the hospital with lung damage due to covid.

And then suddenly another loan!

The criminal took advantage of my confusion and shock.

The whole day he kept me on the speakerphone and asked me not to turn off.

And I, as if in a fog, carried out all his orders, ”a 66-year-old pensioner tells RT.

The woman was sent a table with her personal data - ostensibly for verification.

“As a result, unknown persons debited all the money from my credit account and issued another loan, which they also appropriated,” recalls Ostankovich.

That evening, after recovering a little, she told her son what had happened.

“He immediately realized that they were scammers.

We rushed to call the bank, began to ask to cancel the transactions, ”recalls the pensioner.

According to the woman, the bank told her to call them back when the intruders contacted her again.

“The next day, the scammers really called.

I said that I could not speak, asked me to dial later, and I myself immediately turned to the bank.

But there the girl didn’t really explain to me what I should do: try to keep them on the line so that they could track them down, or suggest some other actions, ”complains Marina Ostankovich.

As a result, when half an hour later the scammers called again, the woman could not stand it and said bluntly that she understood who she was talking to.

“I blurted out:“ Shame on you, you also have a mother.

If there is still something human left in you, return the money to me.

And at the other end they just hung up, ”the pensioner sighs.

After that, she reported the incident to the police, she was recognized as a victim and a case was opened.

“Only when the police demanded the documents, I found out the details and was amazed.

They issued more than a million on me,” she says.

Unsuccessful trial

Although the police recorded the fact of fraud, Rosbank did not cancel the loans, and this is a total of more than 1.2 million rubles.

“I have already contacted them: okay, I’m ready to pay the loan, but can I at least not pay interest?

This money was stolen from me, but they refuse me everything, ”says Marina Ostankovich, who has to pay more than 20 thousand rubles a month.

Rosbank did not respond to RT's request in connection with this situation.

As follows from the official letter from the bank that the pensioner received (available to RT), they believe that the fault lies entirely with the borrower.

“The loan was issued using the Internet Bank / Rosbank Online remote service system.

The performance of these operations became possible due to your violation of the terms of service ... according to which the client is obliged to comply with the safety rules of work, ”the document says.

The deceived pensioner was reminded that if the loan is received by the borrower, then he is obliged to return the entire amount with interest.

“By the decision, you were recognized as a victim, but this is not a basis for terminating the loan agreement by the bank and canceling the accrued interest,” Rosbank writes.

The woman applied to the Central Bank, where she was told that she could try to challenge the loan in court.

However, the court of first instance Ostankovich lost.

As stated in the court ruling (available to RT), the loan agreements were concluded remotely, which indicates that the victim transferred her personal data.

And this is a violation of the terms of the contract.

The arguments that the pensioner thought she was talking to a bank employee were not taken into account, noting that these were the risks of the borrower.

According to the plaintiff's lawyer Ekaterina Pisarevskaya, the woman was refused on formal grounds, without understanding the situation.

At the same time, the bank, for its part, did not take appropriate measures.

“She called the bank on May 18 for help, but she was not given clear instructions.

These are bank actions.

The security service was obliged to report the fraud to the police, since the bank is also a victim in this situation, but, according to our information, there was no statement, ”she says.

Now the lawyer is trying to get the law enforcement agencies to check the bank as well.

A corresponding complaint was filed with the police.

Lawyer Ramil Gizatullin believes that without information leaks from banks, the commission of such crimes is impossible.

He notes that the majority of victims in this category of criminal cases are pensioners, so the problem must be addressed in a comprehensive manner.

“I would suggest that the deputies of the profile committee request and analyze information on this category of crimes and, possibly, take the initiative to declare an amnesty for the victims,” the lawyer says.