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2021-11-18 Forbes - Among the Victims of the Financial Pyramid Under the QBF Signboard Was Volochkova | By By Sergey Teplyakov, Forbes, November 18, 2021
Forbes
18. November 2021
Anastasia Volochkova has been identified as one of the victims of the financial pyramid scheme orchestrated by the investment company QBF. She reportedly lost 1.7 million rubles out of her 3 million ruble investment. In total, the scheme may have defrauded investors of 5-7 billion rubles.
The QBF financial pyramid scheme has claimed another high-profile victim - renowned ballerina Anastasia Volochkova. As reported by "Kommersant", Volochkova was approached by a representative from QBF last summer, who persuaded her to invest in the company and also promote it among her acquaintances. While she invested 3 million rubles in total, 1.7 million rubles were never returned. Following this, Volochkova lodged an official complaint with the Tverskoy District Police Department in Moscow.
As investigations progress, about 500 victims have been officially recognized in the case. The overall suspected amount defrauded from investors ranges between 5 and 7 billion rubles. Earlier in May, "Kommersant" had shed light on the financial scheme, revealing that it operated under the guise of the investment firm QBF. The company had occupied multiple floors in the "City of Capitals" tower in Moscow City. Investigators deduced that the fraudsters lured investors with promises of lucrative returns, only to divert the funds to offshore accounts.
The scheme predominantly targeted affluent clients, especially those believed to have connections to budgetary funds. The perpetrators assumed that these wealthy clients would refrain from reporting to the authorities due to potential legal complications regarding the source of their funds. However, this assumption was debunked when a criminal case was initiated against QBF based on a complaint by the 24-year-old son of a former Yekaterinburg official. This led to the arrest of QBF's managing director, Zelimkhan Munaev.
Amidst the escalating scandal, the Central Bank stripped QBF of its licenses in July.
Anastasia Volochkova Among the Victims of the Financial Pyramid Under the QBF Signboard
By Sergey Teplyakov, Forbes Staff, November 18, 2021
One of the victims of a large financial pyramid operating under the QBF banner turned out to be Anastasia Volochkova. She revealed that she lost 1.7 million rubles. In total, according to investigators, depositors might have been defrauded of 5-7 billion rubles.
One of the victims of a major financial pyramid, which operated under the QBF banner, was Anastasia Volochkova, as learned by "Kommersant".
Volochkova explained that last summer, a QBF representative contacted her, offering her to become an investor and to recommend the company to friends for investments. According to her, she invested a total of 3 million rubles in the company, but 1.7 million rubles were never returned to her. The ballerina filed a complaint with the Tverskoy District Police Department in Moscow.
There are about 500 officially registered victims in the case, the newspaper reports. In total, according to the investigation, depositors might have been defrauded of 5-7 billion rubles.
In May, "Kommersant" reported that the police had uncovered a large financial pyramid operating under the banner of the investment company QBF. The Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs opened a criminal case on large-scale fraud against company employees, who occupied several floors in the "City of Capitals" tower in Moscow City.
Investigators concluded that the alleged fraudsters attracted depositors by promising high returns but transferred the received funds offshore.
The main focus, wrote "Kommersant", was on wealthy clients who might have had access to budgetary funds, hoping that these individuals would not go to the police, as they would not be able to prove the legality of the managed funds. However, as Forbes found out in June, this calculation was incorrect. The case against QBF employees was initiated based on the statement of the 24-year-old son of a former official from Yekaterinburg, as told by the lawyer of the managing director of QBF, Zelimkhan Munaev, who was arrested in the fraud case.
In early July, the Central Bank revoked QBF's licenses.