The matter went to the deposit: the MFO deprived pensioners of the last money
The criminal case ended with the story of the deceived investors of the Parus Financial Group, which had been operating since 2018. Izvestia has data on three episodes of fraud in the criminal case against a certain Alina T. (she is in custody). The microfinance organization attracted depositors with promises of generous interest. Most of the clients, however, saw neither profits nor their money. Alina T. was detained only in March of this year, the police identify her accomplices — the details are in the publication.
To the answer in seven years
Alina T., a resident of Cherkessk (Karachay-Cherkess Republic), was under investigation for at least three episodes of fraud against clients of the credit consumer cooperative FG Parus (she is in the process of liquidation by court decision). The 36-year-old defendant is considered to be involved in the theft of 400 thousand rubles from a 46-year-old resident of Odintsovo near Moscow, 150 thousand rubles from a 75-year-old Muscovite and 1.4 million rubles from a 71-year-old pensioner from the Ulyanovsk region. The crimes were committed from May to June at the company's office in Moscow at Sretenka 16/2. The scenario in each case was the same — personal savings transfer agreements were signed with depositors. People came through advertisements distributed via the Internet or advertising booklets and flyers. They promised a huge 13.05% per annum at that time — the average bank rate in that period was up to 6% per annum. After the money was deposited in the organization's cash register, the funds were appropriated by the participants of the scheme. The first depositors managed to receive interest — it was the money of the new people involved in the scam. The second wave of depositors lost their funds completely — they called and came to the office, looking for managers, but meetings were constantly postponed, and calls were no longer answered.
T., who was under investigation, was a manager in the organization, and cash flows passed through her. The investigation believes that she was aware of the general intent of the authors of the scheme and actively participated in the deception.
They tore up the "Sail"
As Izvestia found out, the criminal case against Parus was initiated back in 2019. At the same time, Alina T. and several more of her possible accomplices came to the attention — all of them were put on the wanted list. Alina T. was detained only in March 2025. The Meshchansky court, at the request of the investigation, arrested her — at that time she had already been charged with four episodes of fraud. The defense tried to challenge the arrest order, but the Moscow City Court rejected the complaint, recognizing the measure of restraint as justified.
To date, Parus is in liquidation. This decision was made by the court in December 2019 after a scandal with depositors. According to the service of enforcement proceedings of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, more than 70 recovery cases totaling more than 32 million rubles have been completed against Parus. Most of them have been completed due to the inability to locate the debtor or due to the liquidation of the CPC. Most of the plaintiffs are individuals, but there are also several companies.
Their ads
Financial organizations like FG Parus actively distribute intrusive advertising through the media and the Internet, and use all available, most often free, resources. For example, they publish reviews about their activities, ostensibly on behalf of grateful customers, in which they emphasize reliability and, most importantly, legality ("all necessary licenses and permits are available").
The company's website is currently inactive, but Izvestia has examined a saved copy of the page. The portal offered four types of deposits: "savings", "convenient", "fast" or "long-term". "We are solving the problem of proper investment in the field of money management. We offer various savings options, guaranteeing their safety and providing an opportunity to choose favorable conditions," the CPC page reported.
Targeting pensioners
The main target audience of the businessmen were gullible pensioners. They often brought "coffins" to the office of Parusa on Sretenka. Customers were assured that deposits were insured, as in any bank, which was not true.
"The fact is that microfinance organizations, which at that time was FG Parus, are not banks and do not participate in the state deposit insurance system," a source in the specialized police unit for combating economic crimes explained to Izvestia. — In case of problems, depositors will not be able to apply to the Deposit Insurance Agency for compensation.
Instead of state insurance, FG Parus in some cases offered insurance through some non-profit corporate organizations voluntarily. In most cases, people refused such a service, but even those who used the option were left with nothing.
— Financial pyramids continue to develop today, although they have become more hidden and sophisticated, — lawyer Ekaterina Krasnova told Izvestia. — Instead of classic schemes where money from new participants goes to old ones, modern pyramids use online platforms, cryptocurrencies, etc. With the help of social networks and popular messengers, they spread easily, attracting people with promises of high profits with minimal effort.
According to her, they disguise themselves as legitimate financial services, using marketing and "evidence" in the form of fake reviews and successful cases. It's important to remember that when income promises seem too good, it's highly likely to be a scam.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
