Freelance criminals: how scammers recruit teenagers to the "FSB"
Teenagers are increasingly finding themselves in the dock on fraud charges. In Moscow, there have been twice as many such cases this year as last year, "Izvestia" was informed in the capital's Investigative Committee. According to the lawyers, schoolchildren and students often do not realize that they are becoming participants in a criminal scheme: believing in the legend of "freelance work for special services," they carry out the instructions of scammers. Why young people are being dragged into criminal activities and whether they can escape punishment is in the "Izvestia" article.
How teenagers become defendants
In December 2025, 16-year-old Eva from Yekaterinburg, a college student, received a call from unknown people who introduced themselves as a delivery service, the girl told "Izvestia". According to her, she was really waiting for the courier that day.
The student called the code from the SMS, after which her "State Services" were hacked and a power of attorney was attached there, which she allegedly issued to a citizen of Ukraine listed as a terrorist and extremist. The callers, "employees of the Ministry of Finance and Rosfinmonitoring," threatened criminal proceedings, but promised to help with full cooperation.
Eva was in touch almost around the clock and fulfilled all their requirements. They asked her to "declare" valuables and money, that is, to show bank accounts and to show the apartment via video link. However, neither the girl nor her relatives had any valuables, so the calls soon stopped.
— At the moment, I didn't realize that I was talking to scammers. I thought the scammers had issued a power of attorney for me, but now I'm talking to people who are ready to help me," Eva says. — I haven't told anyone about what happened. I thought that the services had helped me and that everything was fine.
At the end of April 2026, the student was hooked by scammers again, through a call from the "polyclinic". However, this time the "staff" began to talk to her more aggressively.
— I was told that this is the second such situation. They began to doubt that I was really a victim of scams, and promised that this time everyone would check harder," Eva said.
Soon, unknown persons demanded to transfer a million rubles for verification, the girl claims.
"Where did I get that kind of money?" I'm a 16-year-old girl from the region, you can't tell your parents, they won't give a minor a loan. I was told that I could try to borrow. I replied that my friends were also 16-year—olds," Eva said.
According to the student, they threatened to arrest her for two weeks until all the circumstances were clarified. Fearing such a measure, she agreed to become a "freelance FSB officer." And at the end of May, she was sent on a trial mission: to pick up a package for a "declaration" from another victim of fraud.
The attackers transferred 5,000 rubles to her for a taxi, the student claims. At the same time, the trips themselves cost her more.
— I had a feeling that I was helping. I was convinced that the girl I was taking the package from was just as much a victim as I was," Eva claims.
She took the package and handed it to whom she was told. Soon, the student was detained by real law enforcement officers. A criminal case was opened against her under Part 3 of Article 159 — fraud on an especially large scale.
According to Eva, she didn't know what was in the bag. Already at the department, she was told that there was $10 thousand. Now the girl is on her own recognizance.
"Fraudsters, in addition to stealing money, also put our children in prison,— Andrei, the father of the accused, told Izvestia. — My daughter's life has just begun.
Eva is defended by lawyer Vladimir Bachurin. According to him, he is currently engaged in two more similar cases.
— All the stories are typical. Previously, the children were not charged, but now everyone is being charged as participants in fraud, while it is obvious that they had no intention. These children have increased loyalty to the authorities, they want to be freelance FSB officers and help the state," Vladimir said.
Another scheme
Olga's family from Moscow faced a similar situation. According to the woman, this spring her 16-year-old son Sergey received a call from the "polyclinic" and was offered to undergo a medical examination. As a result, a power of attorney for a citizen of Ukraine was also issued in his name, a bank account was opened and money was allegedly transferred from him to an account associated with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
— It looked as plausible as possible, considering that some time ago he actually received a call from the clinic, — says Olga.
For two and a half months, Sergei, on the instructions of the scammers, transferred 25 thousand rubles to third parties — he had no more, and the family does not keep any valuables at home. The attackers threatened him with criminal liability, so he also became a "freelance FSB officer."
According to Olga, the scammers transferred money to Sergei to buy a set of construction tools. As a result, in May, following the instructions of the scammers, he left school, took a taxi to the victims' house, who let him into the apartment, opened their safe, took about 1.5 million rubles and handed the money to another "employee."
— The scammers kept him in touch all the time and put hard pressure on him. They said that if he did not complete the tasks, he would be prosecuted," Olga added.
On the same day, Sergei confessed the incident to his girlfriend. She told her parents, and they already told Olga.
— The son was in a terrible psychological state. He was completely sure that the security services were keeping him on the hook," she said.
On the same night, the family, together with a lawyer, made a confession and kept correspondence with the scammers. They considered this step the best way out of the situation. At the same time, the document does not say that Sergey admits guilt.
— We have reported the incident. There is no other way to declare that you have become an unwitting participant in an act that can be qualified as a crime," Olga explained.
The police came to them in the morning. Sergey is currently under house arrest.
As part of the investigation, the student underwent a psychological and psychiatric examination. According to Olga, the document says that at the time of the crime, her son's will was limited and that he was under the influence of unidentified persons. Besides, he also had no selfish motive.
— The scammers did not promise their son any money, no earnings, — says Olga.
The family immediately reimbursed the damage. According to Olga, the victims have no complaints against them.
— For a child, even a suspended sentence is a stigma for many years. At a minimum, he will not be able to hold positions in public authorities, go to work in large companies and law enforcement agencies," Olga said. — Being under house arrest also does not give my son the opportunity to attend school and prepare for the Unified State Exam.
In both cases, the defense insists on the innocence of the teenagers, arguing that there is no corpus delicti in their actions.: They were influenced by scammers and did not receive any financial benefits.
The target is teenagers
Since the beginning of 2026, 82 teenagers have been criminally convicted of committing various types of fraud in the capital, "Izvestia" was told by the press service of the GSU IC in Moscow. And for the same period last year, there were only 39 such cases.
"Not all teenagers commit fraud under the influence of third parties, but more and more children fall for the bait of scammers," the agency explained. — A few years ago, there simply was no such scheme for involving minors in crimes.
According to them, the goal of the attackers, who are often in Ukraine, is not only to steal property from citizens, but also to lure young people into criminal schemes and seek to bring them to criminal responsibility in order to ruin their lives.
Psychological and psychiatric forensic examinations are being conducted as part of the investigation. They allow us to determine whether the teenager could have acted under the influence of other people at the time of the illegal actions.
"The testimony of a minor, as well as correspondence with third parties confirming his words, are also of evidentiary importance," the department noted.
"Most often" teenagers receive calls from the "polyclinic" or "delivery service," the press service of the GSU IC in Moscow emphasized. Then a message arrives with a suspicion of hacking into "Public Services" and a request to contact the specified number.
On the other end, there is usually an "FSB officer" who talks about a power of attorney issued to a teenager or about suspicious banking transactions, as well as about impending criminal liability. And to prove the opposite, you need to become a "freelance agent" and be in touch almost around the clock.
"The teenager, believing in the reality of what is happening, remains one—on-one with the scammers and, under their guidance, agrees to commit any actions," the department noted.
"Izvestia" was also informed by lawyers that there were more such cases in Russia. The editorial staff also got acquainted with the judicial practice. Often, the accused in such cases partially or fully admit guilt. They are mostly sentenced to probation, but there are also real terms.
According to the lawyers, in some cases they manage to resolve the case at the investigation stage after receiving the results of the examinations: the investigation is closed due to the lack of evidence of a crime.
The Interior Ministry "Izvestia" confirmed the urgency of the problem of involving minors in illegal schemes using technology. At the same time, according to their data, in 2025 the number of technological crimes decreased by 12%, and remote fraud — by 9%. The Ministry of Internal Affairs does not keep separate statistics on the participation of teenagers in such schemes.
"In January-June 2026, the number of crimes committed by minors or with their complicity also decreased by 5.7% compared to the same period of the previous year," the department added.
Children and teenagers are becoming a separate target audience for fraudsters, including as executors of individual orders, the Interior Ministry noted.
"The task of parents is not just to control the child's gadgets, but to form three stable rules: do not trust strangers, do not make financial transactions on someone else's instructions, and never hide from parents a situation that causes fear or requires secrecy," the department recommends.
If a person voluntarily and definitively refused to commit a crime, criminal liability will not occur, even if he has reached the age prescribed by law, the Interior Ministry stressed.
Why choose schoolchildren
In Russia, criminal liability usually begins at the age of 16, and for individual crimes — from 14. At the same time, even a teenager who has reached the prescribed age can avoid criminal prosecution if his level of mental development does not correspond to the figures in the passport.
According to Daria Konstantinova, partner of "Zabeida and Partners" law firm, an expert examination can be carried out in the framework of the criminal case, which will assess the psychological age of the accused.
— The examination will determine whether the person acted intentionally or did not realize what was happening. In our practice, experts often conclude that the teenager did not realize that he was committing theft. In this case, there will be no corpus delicti," the lawyer noted.
— Adults are less likely to be assigned examinations, since it is assumed that they are able to fully understand their actions. It is desirable that there be some indications for conducting the study, for example, a head injury," Daria Konstantinova emphasized.
According to Yulia Kurina, a lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association "Plesovskikh and Partners" and an expert at the Union of Bloggers Lawyers based at the Moscow Law School of the Russian Bar Association, the attackers began to use more complex schemes to involve citizens.
"They don't offer a person to earn money as a courier, but convince him that he is participating in a legitimate operation of law enforcement agencies," she noted.
Minors and young people are becoming one of the most vulnerable categories, the expert believes.
Yulia Kurina believes that the attackers take advantage of the lack of life experience of teenagers, their trust in law enforcement agencies and fear of criminal liability. In addition, they demand to observe the "secrecy of the investigation" and not to tell parents and relatives about what is happening.
According to the lawyer, in practice, the identification of the direct perpetrator often becomes the basis for charging him. However, it is necessary to carefully find out whether the teenager understood exactly what was happening and whether he was aware of the nature of his actions.
— To bring to criminal responsibility, it is not enough to establish that the accused received or transferred someone else's property. It is necessary to prove the existence of intent to embezzle and the awareness that he is involved in criminal activities," the lawyer stressed. — If a young man was convinced that he was helping law enforcement agencies, this fact is of fundamental importance for assessing the subjective side of the crime.
In such cases, the organizers and supervisors are often located outside of Russia, while the perpetrators remain inside the country and are available to the investigation, Yulia Kurina added. According to her, this creates a risk that criminal prosecution will eventually focus on the most accessible link in the criminal scheme — a person who might not realize what role he plays in it.
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