By posing on social media as potential recruits for Islamic State (ISIS) and tricking the militants into believing they were willing to become ‘jihadi brides’, three young Chechen girls have swindled the terrorist organization out of $3,300.
Watch John Oliver explain how three young women catfished ISIS http://t.co/0EiBRBRJKL pic.twitter.com/5bpcxdmiVd
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) August 5, 2015
One of the Chechen swindlers, using the first name Maryam or Mary, told Russian tabloid Life News that a militant in Syria had contacted her on social media, asking her to give up everything for a new life with the terror group.
“He began to lure me, saying ‘do you want to come to Syria? It is very good’. I told him that I didn’t have any money, and he offered to sent me 10,000 Roubles on Qiwi-Wallet,” she said. After the Syrian transferred the cash, she blocked him from all of her social media accounts and disappeared with the money. She subsequently repeated the stunt with two other ISIS fighters, who sent her 15,000 and 20,000 Roubles respectively.
Mary, though, was seriously considering moving to Syria rather than pulling out of the brilliant online money-making scheme but backed out after hearing stories from her friends. “Many people I know did go, but I know no one for whom it turned out well,” she said.
The Islamic State meets its match: Chechen girls troll #ISIS with Fake Bride Scam. You go girls! http://t.co/or27gu22JX via @thedailybeast — Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) July 30, 2015
The young catfishers, who turned the tables on the ISIS scammers who use fake online profiles to dupe innocent people into so-called jihad, were detained by a Chechen police E unit specializing in monitoring online activities for evidence of crimes on charges of fraud that carries a penalty of up to six years in prison.
Feel good story of the day: Chechen Girls Catfish ISIS, Scamming Them For Travel Money http://t.co/h9tK4TzIx8 They should be rewarded!
— Mike For Emperor ’16 (@mikeydog) August 2, 2015
Chechen police said they had found several people who had set up fake social media accounts to contact ISIS. Life News reports that not just women but men also have catfished ISIS militants by posing as women and sending fake photos in order to receive “travel money”. One investigator said that ISIS recruiters often use electronic cash transfers to their “victims” so they do not have to take the risk of buying tickets themselves.
“But I don’t recall any precedent like this one in Chechnya, probably because nobody digs deep enough in that direction. Anyhow, I don’t advise anyone to communicate with dangerous criminals, especially for grabbing quick money,” Valery Zolotaryov of the E unit told Life News.
The police action, however, has not stopped the Internet from celebrating these international heroes. An online Telegraph poll has found 91% voters think the women should not face charges “for ripping off terrorists”. Only 9% think that “two wrongs don’t make a right”.
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