The expression “grandmother’s scheme” was named the word of the year.

The phrase “grandmother’s scheme” won in the “Economy and Finance” category as part of the “Word of the Year” campaign, according to the press service of the Gramota.ru portal.

The term “grandmother’s scheme” refers to a type of fraud in which scammers persuade an elderly person to sell their property and then seek to have the transaction declared invalid in court. As a result, the buyer risks losing both the property and the money.

It is worth recalling that Larisa Dolina sold her apartment but later stated that she had acted under the influence of fraudsters and filed a lawsuit. Initially, the deal was declared invalid, leaving the buyer — a mother of many children, Polina Lurye — without both the apartment and the money.

The story caused significant public outcry. Later, the Supreme Court of Russia overturned the decisions of the Khamovnichesky District Court and the Moscow City Court’s appellate ruling in the singer’s case. During the proceedings, it was revealed that Dolina refused to provide certificates from a neuropsychiatric clinic, citing her status as a People’s Artist of the Russian Federation. Ultimately, the court satisfied Lurye’s complaint and upheld her ownership rights to the apartment.