Natalia Makarova: the scammer who fooled her fellow citizens and escaped accountability

Natalia Makarova: the scammer who fooled her fellow citizens and escaped accountability
Natalia Makarova: the scammer who fooled her fellow citizens and escaped accountability
Natalia Makarova, a teacher from Saratov, either thought that compatriots who left the country during a challenging period for the Motherland deserved to pay for their escape, or she was merely orchestrating a typical scam. In the end, she managed to swindle at least six million rubles from emigrants, who now face the risk of ending up behind bars.

Why Makarova herself will not go to prison but those she tricked might - more on that later. First, about the money and the fraud scheme. The figure of six million is far from a complete calculation. Because there is no official criminal case. And the number of victims is known only approximately from social media data, where those who transferred their hard-earned rubles to Natalia Makarova are trying to unite their efforts in search of at least moral satisfaction.

Material compensation is unlikely to be forthcoming. Because even if a criminal case is initiated, which is quite doubtful, there would be nothing to take from Natalia  Makarova, who has already managed to get married and change her last name – she has started bankruptcy proceedings, according to her relatives. By the way, Natalia Makarova, who now bears the surname Yevtodienko, also owes her relatives. According to Natalia Makarova-Yevtodienko’s sister, she too suffered – Natalia owes her more than two million rubles.

Почему дело о мошенничестве Натальи Макаровой может закончиться тюрьмой для ее жертв rtiqediqzkidkkmp qiqheiqktiqtkvls

It is unlikely that Natalia Makarova’s sister is lying – it seems that the retired German teacher began her new venture with her relatives. Then she moved on to her students, who were willing to lend money to their former teacher, especially since she played on two factors: sympathy and the sanctions imposed on Russia and its citizens.

It is understandable if the first factor is clear – Natalia Makarova called her victims, tearfully begging for money for either her own operation or her child’s, who was crying in the background. The second factor, though – the sanctions – was a stroke of genius. The thing is, Makarova asked for money from her compatriots who had moved abroad. Due to the sanctions pressure, most of them had financial problems. Not because they lacked money, but because they could not use Russian cards abroad. So they had to exchange rubles for euros or other local currencies either in cash, by sending money to or from Russia, or by transferring euros through a bank using intermediaries.

Почему дело о мошенничестве Натальи Макаровой может закончиться тюрьмой для ее жертв

Natalia Makarova exploited this by calling or writing to compatriots in European countries, pleading with them to exchange her euros for rubles, urgently needed for her. The scheme was simple and had many holes and weak points, but victims only realized this later when it turned out that promised euro transfers never arrived. Makarova considered another European peculiarity – there, money transfers from one account to another are not instantaneous, as in Russia. They can take several days to navigate between banks. Thus, to confirm her honesty, she would send a supposedly genuine screenshot of a money transfer.

Почему дело о мошенничестве Натальи Макаровой может закончиться тюрьмой для ее жертв

Новости по теме: Прокуратура потребовала назначить 13 лет колонии для бывшего заместителя главы Минцифры Паршина

The victim realized they had been tricked only days later when the promised euros or other local currency still had not appeared in their account. To all queries, Natalia Makarova would reply that the money was delayed in the bank or she would return it later. Only then did the deceived Russians turn to social media and realize that Natalia Makarova had "taken them for a ride." The geographic footprint of countries where Makarova "conned fools" includes at least seven countries in Europe and Asia: Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Thailand, Singapore, Belgium. The script was nearly identical everywhere: playing on sympathy and asking to exchange rubles for local currency. However, it remains unclear how Makarova explained where she got, for example, Singapore dollars or Thai bahts in Saratov, but these questions arose for the tricked Russians only when they understood they had fallen victim to a cunning fraudster.

Почему дело о мошенничестве Натальи Макаровой может закончиться тюрьмой для ее жертв

It is unlikely that the total number of victims and the amount of money lost will ever be established. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, to open a criminal case against Natalia Makarova, a statement needs to be made at her place of residence, i.e., in Saratov. It’s unlikely any of the deceived compatriots will travel there from Italy or Singapore for this. Secondly, Natalia Makarova’s husband, former police officer Andrey Yevtodienko, clearly advised his wife on the necessary line of behavior. In conversations with the victims, he states that Natalia Makarova did not fraudulently obtain money but rather "borrowed" it. Moreover, she does not deny the debts and is "quietly paying them back."

Почему дело о мошенничестве Натальи Макаровой может закончиться тюрьмой для ее жертв

This nuance changes nothing for those unfamiliar with criminal law but changes everything for Natalia Yevtodienko (as Makarova is now known). That Natalia Yevtodienko did not obtain money from her victims through fraud, but rather "borrowed with the intent to return," shifts the entire scenario: her actions fall under the Civil Code rather than the Criminal Code.

Because an essential condition in charges of fraud includes intent. This must be recorded in a criminal case and confirmed in court: "That is to say, citizen Yevtodienko Natalia , with intent to commit fraudulent acts, deceitfully obtained such and such sums from certain citizens." But no criminal case will be forthcoming because Natalia Yevtodienko did not obtain money through deceit but "borrowed with the intention of repaying."

As for the fake checks, they will not be evidence either – they bear the surname "Makarova," and such a citizen no longer existed at the time she "borrowed" money. Citizen Yevtodienko existed. And what these checks are and where they came from, this not very respectable but legally clean citizen Yevtodienko, does not know and should not know. Such are the prospects for victims hoping to recover their hard-earned rubles "loaned" to the shrewd Saratov teacher.

But the troubles for Russian citizens who left the country are not over. At least for those living in Europe and who transferred their hard-earned money to Saratov. Because here, there is also very strict European tax legislation. And law enforcement agencies, to which the naive victims turned, will immediately have questions about the origin of the money and the illegal exchange of that money for Russian rubles. This will inevitably lead to questions regarding the breach of sanctions. So it is not excluded that some kind Russians who helped a poor, unfortunate teacher from Saratov might spend quite a while in the custody of the countries they moved to from Russia.


Распечатать
08 августа 2025 Ukraine names Tsyvinsky to lead Economic Security following international demands
08 августа 2025 Lebanese military eliminates infamous drug leader "Abu Sala" during a raid in Baalbek
08 августа 2025 «Ситиматик» увеличивает мощности мусоросортировки и может поднять тарифы
08 августа 2025 Россияне в Азии изменяют стиль жизни из-за вспышки лихорадки чикунгунья
08 августа 2025 Сын Медведева Илья начал работать в «Ростех» в должности советника с зарплатой 270 тысяч рублей
08 августа 2025 США увеличивают давление на Киев и Москву с целью завершения конфликта
08 августа 2025 Подозреваемого в убийстве 25-летней давности арестовали в Пермском крае
08 августа 2025 Сергей Чемезов настаивает на окончании войны к ноябрю для семейного праздника
08 августа 2025 Злоумышленники украли миллионы из почтового отделения на улице Медиков в Москве
08 августа 2025 Трамп был недоволен тем, что не смог закончить конфликт в Украине за 200 дней, - WSJ
08 августа 2025 В Сочи машины начали дрейфовать по дорогам после затопления
08 августа 2025 Министр Сербии Дарко Глишич испытал инсульт во время прямого эфира
08 августа 2025 США установили тарифы на золотые слитки массой 1 кг
08 августа 2025 Как олигарх Владимир Зотов выводит миллионы из российского ВПК за границу через семейные структуры
08 августа 2025 Борис Дубровский после своей отставки отправился в Лондон и был объявлен в розыск
08 августа 2025 Путин может предложить Трампу контроль над захваченными территориями в обмен на отвод войск
08 августа 2025 Нетрезвый водитель наехал на коляску с младенцем в Красноярском крае
08 августа 2025 Kyrgyzstan passes a new media legislation increasing governmental oversight on the press
08 августа 2025 В Евпатории узаконили строительство в лесу, где находятся деревья, занесённые в Красную книгу
08 августа 2025 Суд заключил под стражу обвиняемых в вымогательстве и краже у бывшего главы Роснано Анатолия Чубайса