Three Chechen Women Catfished ISIS Members and Netted Thousands of Dollars in the Process

Remember that time your granddad forwarded you that hilarious email about a Nigerian prince promising an unholy amount of money in exchange for a nominal upfront charge? Remember when such a duping, and all variations of the so-called 419 scam, were so widely recognized by their true nature that the phrase "Nigerian prince" became an almost annoying trend in pop culture? Apparently, such a peak didn't quite reach members of ISIS (ISIL, Islamic State, and all variations therein).

Chechen officials have detained three women after it was discovered they were (quite easily) tricking members of the Islamic State into sending them thousands of dollars based on the promise of eventually heading to Syria to join the cause. As these things go, the women had no intention of ever going to Syria — instead securing each transaction, cashing out, and deleting the affiliated social media account before starting the process over again.

The total haul for the Chechen con artists was (at least) $3300, according to RT — though that number would presumably be much larger if the operation hadn't been disbanded by local police's "E Unit," which specializes in "monitoring online activities for evidence of crimes." The women are currently being investigated for fraud, with local officer Valery Zolotaryov advising that no one attempt to "communicate with dangerous criminals, especially for grabbing quick money."