An 82-year-old man in Russia's capital Moscow has lost nearly 13 million rubles (about $154,300) to fraudsters who convinced him he was helping law enforcement catch criminals.

The scam began when the pensioner shared an SMS verification code with an unknown woman who claimed it was needed to arrange a delivery, according to TASS.

He was subsequently contacted by a man posing as a law enforcement officer. The caller falsely claimed that money had been transferred in the pensioner’s name to finance criminal activity and persuaded him to cooperate in an operation to catch the perpetrators.

Over the following 10 days, the elderly man withdrew his savings from bank accounts and handed the money to couriers, believing it would eventually be returned.

The fraudsters later persuaded him to sell his real estate. The fake officer recommended a property transaction specialist and advised the pensioner to purchase a less expensive property. The man then handed the difference in price to a female courier.

The total financial loss exceeded 12.9 million rubles, according to prosecutors.

The Moscow Prosecutor’s Office warned residents that genuine law enforcement officers do not instruct people to withdraw money from bank accounts, hand cash to couriers or carry out real estate transactions as part of investigations.

Police also stressed that investigative and operational-search activities are not conducted over the phone.