Fraudsters who sold counterfeit gold bars for $3 million were arrested.

In Moscow, law enforcement officers arrested fraudsters who sold counterfeit gold bars for $ 3 million. This was reported on June 3 in the Telegram channel of the Investigative Committee of Russia (IC RF).

It is specified that in 2025, five intruders joined together in an organized criminal group to commit crimes related to property. The defendants developed a criminal scheme that involved the sale of precious metal. They offered to profitably buy bullion and profit from exports at a favorable exchange rate to the territory of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Then the attackers executed purchase and sale agreements.

"After the victims transferred digital assets equivalent to over $3 million in cash, [the attackers] handed them the "gold bars" without conducting appropriate procedures to verify the chemical composition of the metal," the Telegram channel says.

It is reported that two of the defendants are in custody, they pleaded not guilty. The rest of the individuals were charged in absentia and put on the federal wanted list. At the moment, the attackers are being checked for involvement in similar crimes in Moscow.

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Earlier, on January 31, the Department for combating the illegal use of information and communication technologies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia told about a way to deceive citizens through the purchase of gold bars or investment coins. Russians are convinced by phone that their money is in danger, but instead of transferring money, they are asked to buy gold. Then the victim is offered to either transfer the precious metal to a courier, or sell it to another bank and transfer the money to a supposedly secure account.