Islamic State being scammed via social media, giving away money

Remember how the Islamic State is using social media in a clever way to recruit members, lure girls away from their homes, and intimidate locals? Well, it looks like a few women in Chechnya have duped the Islamic State for some quick cash.

The unidentified women, currently being investigated for fraud, scammed at least $3,300 from the Islamic State - by promising to head to Syria to join the group. Instead, the women shut down the social media accounts after the money was successfully wired into their accounts.

"I don't recall any precedent like this one in Chechnya, probably because nobody digs deep enough in that direction," said Valery Zolotaryov, a police officer in Chechnya, speaking to a Chechen newspaper. "Anyhow, I don't advise anyone to communicate with dangerous criminals, especially for grabbing quick money."

This isn't the first time a similar incident has happened to the Islamic State, after reports of men - posing as women - get Islamic State social media handlers to send them undisclosed amounts of cash. It seems like a reckless and potentially dangerous scam, but the Islamic State probably just writes it off as a loss, and moves on.