In Chelyabinsk, a 40-year-old local resident set fire to her own apartment after following instructions from phone scammers. Before that, she had also transferred 40,000 rubles to them. РИА Новости reported this, citing the city police press service.
According to police, the incident led to the opening of a criminal fraud case. The woman said the attacker first convinced her to send money and then promised that, after the arson, she would receive a large insurance payout.
As shown in a video published by the Telegram channel Baza, the scammer directed the woman’s actions in real time. He explained exactly how to set the bed on fire and then told her to wait five minutes while the flames grew.
The man on the line asked her to wait a few minutes “for procedure” while the fire intensified.
The fire broke out in a building on Molodogvardeytsev Street. Because of heavy smoke, 10 people were evacuated from the building. Police said no one was injured, but the apartment where the fire started was badly burned.
Authorities learned that the owner herself had caused the fire after she briefly posted the video in the building’s group chat. The report says that recording helped establish what had happened.