Scammers swindle over €107,000 in Lithuania using fake “secret operation” scheme

A woman in Vilnius was defrauded of more than €107,000 by scammers who posed as medical staff, bank employees, and police officers, LRT reports.

The victim told police that unknown individuals, speaking Russian, contacted her by phone over the course of a week. Eventually, an unfamiliar man arrived at her home, and she handed over €107,300.

Visvaldas Legkauskas, a psychology lecturer at Vytautas Magnus University, explained that such large-scale fraud requires highly refined persuasion tactics, tested repeatedly. “The absolute majority of attempts are unsuccessful—these are very rare cases, measurable not in percentages but in fractions of a percent,” he said in an LRT Radio interview.

According to Legkauskas, scammers exploit fear and pride. One common tactic involves convincing the victim they are part of a criminal investigation. “They offer participation in a secret operation—to lure fictional criminals into a law enforcement trap. If you don’t participate, you’ll be held responsible and suffer; if you do, everything will be fine,” he said. Such schemes can unfold over weeks or even months.

Another method preys on pride, persuading victims to invest money. Legkauskas noted that requests often start small before escalating to financial demands. In Russia or Ukraine, victims may even be asked to transport objects, sometimes explosives.

He warned that a call from a Russian-speaking stranger should be an immediate red flag. “Block the number right away. If a Russian speaker calls another Russian speaker, life becomes complicated. There’s no guaranteed way to avoid deception—you must question whether you’re being scammed and verify the information,” he said.

Institutions repeatedly remind the public that no legitimate authority will ever request personal data or money transfers by phone, email, or private message.