Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, families of missing Russian soldiers often post messages in Internet groups about searching for relatives. In response, they often received private messages from strangers offering help for a reward, offers that always turned out to be scams. This is stated in the investigation of “Verstka” journalists, who independently investigated how these frauds take place, and even talked to the swindler, who told how he and his cellmate made a plan. The story is summarized by the independent website Meduza.

Vladislava and Anna live in the Donetsk region. They don’t know each other, but they have something in common: both have relatives who went missing in the war, and both recently received identical messages from a person who identified herself as Yulia Ivanova, who claimed to be a journalist. the now closed pro-Russian Ukrainian TV channel NewsOne.

“Yulia Ivanova” told both women that their missing relatives – Vladislava’s uncle and Anna’s brother – were captured. She then sent them a link to what she said was the official form for contacting the military command of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic.” To send the message, the form required payment of 5,000 rubles (about $78). The women became suspicious and did not continue the conversation.

Learn more at Digi24.ro