Summary: Efficient iterative methods for the numerical solution of three-dimensional acoustic scattering problems are considered. The underlying exterior boundary value problem is approximated by truncating the unbounded domain and by imposing a non-reflecting boundary condition on the artificial boundary. The finite element discretization of the approximate boundary value problem is performed using locally fitted meshes, and algebraic fictitious domain methods with separable preconditioners are applied to the solution of the resultant mesh equations. These methods are based on imbedding the original domain into a larger one with a simple geometry (for example, a sphere or a parallelepiped). The iterative solution method is realized in a low-dimensional subspace, and partial solution methods are applied to the linear systems with the preconditioner. The results of numerical experiments demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the approach.