AI job scam costs Rostov woman 83,000 rubles

A resident of Rostov, Diana, lost 83,000 rubles (about $922 at current rates) while trying to get a job as an assistant for AI projects. The vacancy, with a salary from 65,000 rubles (about $722 at current rates), remote work, and training from scratch, was found in a Telegram channel that positions itself as a platform for freelancers. Instead of work, the girl got a multi-step scam scheme with a fake website, a dummy lawyer, and a bogus Rosfinmonitoring bot. The scammers« accounts are still active.

«It»s a practiced system«

According to Diana, the ad looked ordinary: AI project assistant, flexible schedule — from four hours a day, paid training, mentor support, and stable payouts. Responsibilities included checking the work of artificial intelligence, making edits based on ready-made instructions, and recording tasks in an internal system.

— I responded. I wrote to the girl listed as a manager. They scheduled an interview for me. They have a lot of interviews and calls, by the way — I gathered it«s a practiced system, — says the Rostov woman.

On the appointed day, they sent her a link to a Zoom conference.

«Everything as usual. Everything was completely ordinary.»

The first to get in touch was a man, who called himself Andrei. He asked about experience, talked about the company, tasks, and pay.

— Everything as usual. Everything was completely ordinary, — describes the interview the victim.

Then Andrei said there would be two supervisors. A second person joined the Zoom conference — he introduced himself as German. He took over the «technical part»: setting up a work account. He sent a link to a site and asked her to register.

The site turned out to be fake.

«We»ll log in now, and you«ll transfer it back to yourself»

Immediately after registration, money was debited from the bank card without any SMS confirmation. The amount went to an account linked to the phone number.

German, according to the girl, reacted emotionally: «Oh-oh-oh, the money went to the work account. We»ll log in now, and you«ll transfer it back to yourself.»

The Rostov woman logged into the «personal account» on what later turned out to be a fake website. Balance: $167. Neither exchange into rubles nor withdrawal.

— He says: this is an international platform, apparently it converted into dollars, it«s more convenient for the platform. He said, »I«m encountering this for the first time, forgive us. I»ll sit with you until evening until we solve it,« — Diana relays his words.

Enter the «lawyer»

The next step, according to the victim, was a «lawyer.» German said he had found a specialist who works with their company, and a third person appeared in Zoom — one Dmitry.

— In legal language he explains: you accidentally opened a foreign currency account abroad. You need to legalize the dollar account — and then you can manage the money, — says the Rostov woman.

Dmitry led Diana to a fake bot supposedly from Rosfinmonitoring. In the correspondence, the girl was asked to send receipts about an «accidental» transfer. And then they scared her: Articles 173 and 193 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, money laundering, criminal liability.

— I listen to him, send receipts, and explain that it wasn«t intentional, — recalls the victim.

«Moscow Exchange», invoice, and silence

Then Dmitry, according to Diana, said that to legalize 90% of the funds, she needed to convert rubles into dollars supposedly through the Moscow Exchange.

— He says: on the Moscow Exchange you buy dollars, rubles, all currencies in general. We«ll convert your rubles into dollars now, and you»ll calmly withdraw them from that site to a dollar card. It«s safe, everything is stored in the treasury. You»ll receive an invoice, — Diana cites his arguments.

The invoice came, but it also turned out to be fake. The money went to a dummy account — that«s how Diana lost 83,000 rubles (about $922 at current rates).

A dropper from Perm with an Egyptian passport

The Rostov woman filed a police report. The account she transferred the money to turned out to be registered to a man from Perm. He has an Egyptian passport, Russian registration, and, as it turned out, a red diploma from a Russian university, received in July of this year.

— I called him. He answered something, then hung up. Then he just hangs up, doesn«t answer the phone, — says Diana.

According to her, the police are considering two versions: either the man is a link in the chain, or he simply sold his card to scammers. Police officers also suggest that the money went through several accounts to finance the Armed Forces of Ukraine. If the Perm man is found on Russian territory, he may be prevented from leaving the country.

The Rostov woman herself was told by the police: the fact that she filed a statement immediately allowed her to be recorded as a victim, not an accomplice.

The channel is alive, the vacancy is still up

The ad for hiring an AI project assistant has still not been deleted. The correspondence has not been cleaned up, the scammers« accounts are active — which means new victims can fall for the same scheme.

The police told Diana: Rosfinmonitoring does not communicate with citizens via Telegram bots, does not require «receipts of accidental transfers,» and does not engage in the legalization of foreign currency accounts. The Moscow Exchange does not conduct private currency conversion for individuals. If you are asked under any pretext to transfer money during employment — it«s fraud. Immediately contact the police.

Earlier, 161.RU reported how you can encounter scammers on dating sites who are not looking for love but for money in your wallets. The scammers« schemes are in this article.