3 Chechen women who scammed ISIS fighters out of money could serve hard time

One of the Chechen women charged with fraud. — (Image credit: Twitter.com/DazedMagazine)

ISIS fighters looking for love were instead taught a lesson in catfishing by three women in Chechnya.

The women have been arrested on charges of fraud after tricking the fighters into sending them money for plane tickets they never planned to purchase, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. One woman said she was contacted on social media by a militant in Syria, who asked her to come join him as a "jihadi bride." She said she didn't have enough money to get there, so he sent her 10,000 rubles ($167). Instead of buying a one-way ticket, she blocked him, kept the money, and moved onto two other targets (adding 35,000 rubles, or $585, to her coffers).

The woman told Russia's Life News that she actually was contemplating going to Syria, but decided against it because "a lot of people I know have gone, but it did not end well for any of them." All three are facing a maximum of six years in jail if convicted.

Article continues below

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.