The activities of criminal groups, which for three years under the guise of dating with the girls through the Internet cheated more than 400 U.S. citizens who had stopped in the Republic of Mari El.
As it was reported in the Russian Prosecutor General's Office on Monday, the investigation revealed that fraudulent activities were put on stream - the capital of Mari El, Yoshkar-Ola and the adjacent village of Medvedevo with the fall of 2004 to July 2007, a group of young people rented apartments to offices, each of which was up to ten computers that were working in shifts around the clock to 15 people, mostly students.
"On behalf of the residents of the republic they were e-mails with foreigners under the pretext of friendship. In the correspondence offered to foreigners make money transfers to the different needs of their "beloved". The amount of transfers ranged from 100 to 4 thousand dollars ", - the Prosecutor General's office, ITAR-TASS.
The money spent for the development of "business" - the rental of apartments, purchase electronic equipment at a cost of protection. According to investigators, injured 412 foreigners, most of them residents of the United States. Damage from the crime amounted to more than 9 million rubles.
"The goal was foiled by officials of the Russian Federal Security Service of the Republic of Mari El, as a result of the special large-scale operation, during which they promptly" shut down "14" offices ", arrested key leaders and organizers of a criminal group, seized more than 100 computers and 10 sets of satellite equipment. Total detained more than 60 members of the criminal group ", - told the Prosecutor General's Office.
Investigation of the case led the investigative branch of the FSB department for Mari El, with the participation of law enforcement bodies of the republic and immigration and customs investigations of Homeland Security.
Yoshkar-Ola City Court found the ten defendants in age from 22 to 29 years, guilty of fraud against the citizens of the United States and Canada. The court sentenced the head of the "office" Alexei Trushkova to four years imprisonment in a penal colony and a fine of 10 thousand rubles. The other nine defendants received five years imprisonment, they pay a fine of 5 thousand rubles.
In the near future to stand trial for another 15 people working in other "office". For another 39 defendants, among them leaders of an organized group, the investigation continues.
A new species of Internet fraud appeared in the 1990's and has already received its name - "scammers" (from the English spoken scam - a scam, scam, fraud), and offers the possibility of marriage with Russian brides became one of the most common.
According to the Russian bureau of Interpol, marriage fraud against foreigners, including over the Internet in recent years acquired a mass character, and in Mari El and Kirov region appeared organized groups. According to the NCB of Interpol, in 2006 alone, the volume of items listed in the course of marriage fraud amounted to approximately 15 million Euro. From the perpetrators of fraud affected the citizens of 24 countries, including USA, UK, Canada, Austria, Italy, Australia, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Turkey, UAE, Yemen, Malaysia and others.