Emmanuel Turetskaya, daughter of the renowned Russian artist Mikhail Turetsky, has become the victim of a sophisticated online scam, leading to a loss of at least 6 million rubles.
According to reports, the elaborate fraud began on September 18 when Emmanuel received a call from an individual posing as a «delivery service employee.» This person convinced her to disclose a code from an SMS message. The conversation then shifted to a Zoom call, where she was successively contacted by individuals claiming to be a «Gosuslugi» (public services) employee, a «Rosfinmonitoring» (financial intelligence service) representative, and finally an «investigator.» The scammers meticulously crafted a convincing and intimidating atmosphere, even including a visible desk lamp and claiming to be in uniform.
The perpetrators applied intense psychological pressure on Emmanuel, falsely accusing her of transferring funds to a «Ukrainian extremist.» Under the threat of a police search and the demand to «declare all family savings,» she was coerced into apologizing and subsequently transferring her personal savings, along with a portion of her father`s funds.
Emmanuel only realized she had been defrauded after discussing the incident with her boyfriend, who promptly insisted she inform her family about the scam. Mikhail Turetsky`s reaction to the distressing news was notably gentle and understanding, rather than angry.
He reportedly said: «After this, I love you even more. To me, you are so naive, so artless – a poet`s dream. Such a girl, so unpragmatic!»
