Beburishvili Andrei Georgievich

Beburishvili Andrei Georgievich

Biography

2025: Loss of ₽5,2 million due to phone scammers

Stand-up comedian and resident of the Comedy Club show Andrei Beburishvili in February 2025 became a victim of fraudsters who introduced themselves as employees of the Russian Post and federal departments. As a result of the deception, the artist lost ₽5,2 million. He announced this on the air of the Comedy Club program, released on March 23, 2025.

According to Rtvi, Beburishvili said that he received a call from an unknown person, who introduced himself as an employee of the Russian Post and reported on an outstanding parcel. To reissue it, the caller asked to name the numbers allegedly necessary to confirm the identity. After that, access to his account on the Public services portal was stolen from Beburishvili. Then he received a call from another person who introduced himself as an FSB officer, who declared the risk of criminal prosecution for "supporting a terrorist organization," referring to a fake power of attorney issued in the artist's personal account.

According to the comedian, the attacker offered to "save the funds" and transfer them to the Central Bank. The script was built on constant pressure and disorientation: Beburishvili was in touch with fraudsters for eight hours, unable to think about what was happening. He was told to withdraw cash, purchase a new mobile phone and SIM card and not stop contact.

According to Beburishvili's story, after removing ₽250 thousand to buy equipment, he was informed that to complete the operation, another ₽5 million should be withdrawn. At the bank branch, the comedian explained to employees that the money was needed to buy watches. Having received the funds, the scammers instructed him to transfer them to a representative at the Church of Ksenia of St. Petersburg, calling the password "bear."

The comedian clarified that he handed over the entire amount to an unknown man, after which he disappeared. Beburishvili admitted that he immediately realized that he had become a victim of deception. He stressed that fraudsters used psychological pressure, complex terms and fear of criminal prosecution to fully control his actions.

Later, the artist turned to the police with an official statement. He also contacted the criminals by phone, publishing a recording of the conversation on his telegram channel. When asked about the number of participants in the scheme, one of them replied that "there are over fifty people on staff."^[1]

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