33-Year-Old Man Defrauds Women with Fake Marriage Promises, Steals a Total of 3.3 Million Dram

The investigation into a case of large-scale fraud through the internet has concluded at the Main Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of the RA Investigative Committee. As a result of various investigative and procedural actions conducted during the pre-trial proceedings, essential circumstances relevant to the case have been established, including the mechanism used for the fraud.

Evidence obtained during the investigation revealed that a resident of Yerevan, born in 1988, engaged in fraudulent activities from September 2020 to March 2021. With the direct intent to steal someone else’s property through deceit, he familiarized himself and became close to various female users via the websites “Facebook.com,” “Instagram,” and “Odnoklassniki.ru.” Under the pretense of marriage promises, he gained and abused their trust, using numerous pretexts to fraudulently steal a total of 3,370,000 Armenian drams.

Specifically, he directed women to register electronic wallets in their names through the “Idram” payment system. Subsequently, he fraudulently obtained the details of these wallets and changed the associated mobile phone number to one of his own. By gaining access to electronic wallets opened in other people's names, he formed online loan agreements for 1,000,000, 620,000, and 1,430,000 drams, transferring the aforementioned sums, which were credited to other individuals' accounts, to different accounts, thus committing fraud.

Additionally, in February 2021, the 33-year-old man met another female user on “instagram.com,” quickly became close with her, and continued their communication through “Facebook.com” and phone calls. After securing and abusing her trust with fake promises of marriage, he took her gold rings, a chain, and a pendant worth a total of 320,000 drams under the pretext of resolving financial issues, but did not return them, effectively committing theft.

Based on sufficient evidence, charges have been filed against the 33-year-old man under Article 178, Part 2, Clause 2 (3 episodes) and Part 1 of the Armenian Criminal Code, and he has been remanded in custody as a measure of restraint. The investigation has concluded, and the case has been sent to the supervising prosecutor with a request for the indictment to be confirmed and forwarded to the court.

The Investigative Committee of Armenia further urges individuals to refrain from providing personal data to unfamiliar persons to avoid similar incidents.

Notice: A person suspected or charged with an alleged crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final judicial verdict in accordance with the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia.