Estonian phone scam victims may receive compensation this year
Wednesday 11th November 2026 on 03:45 in
Estonia
Some Estonians who lost money to a phone scam network led by Artur Yermolayev could receive compensation before the end of the year, ERR reports. Police are identifying victims so they can be repaid from the €8.5 million confiscated from Yermolayev.
Prosecutors identified nearly 500 people in Estonia who may have been harmed by the network. Police have so far confirmed the details needed to make payments to about 100 of them. Prosecutor General Astrid Asi told ERR that compensation amounts have been established for those 100, who are likely to receive their money this year.
The aim is to repay each victim the full amount of their verified losses, said state prosecutor Jürgen Hõva. Any money left after payments will go to state revenue. Authorities are also working to resolve cases involving victims who have died.
Police have emailed all potential victims known to them, sending the messages before November, but many have not replied. Hõva said some may have outdated contact details or may be concerned that the message is a scam.
Police emails were sent in Estonian from official addresses ending in @politsei.ee. Police will not use law firms or other legal representatives to contact victims, ask them to verify their identity with PIN codes or request money transfers. Prosecutors urged recipients of earlier emails to check their inboxes and reply, and to verify the sender through official police contact details if they have doubts.
Harju County Court convicted Yermolayev in the spring of creating and leading a criminal group involved in phone scams. From 2017, he and three other men built a network of call centres in several Ukrainian cities, offering fake investment opportunities by phone. The group defrauded people of more than €100 million between 2019 and 2022, including an estimated €5.4 million from people in Estonia. Yermolayev agreed to pay €8.5 million to the Estonian state.
Prosecutors, police, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs are working on the technical arrangements for the payments.