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Scammers detained after scamming Russian circus owner by pretending to be UFC fighter

A group of scammers, including one who passed himself off as UFC heavyweight Aleksei Oleinik, have been detained by law enforcement officers in Russia.

Three men were detained for using a variety of messaging apps including WhatsApp and Telegram to scam unsuspecting victims during the coronavirus pandemic. Among the victims are Russia’s famed circus owner Edgard Zapashny.

According to Russian Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk, the fraudsters would contact famous people, masquerade as one of their friends, before requesting them to urgently transfer funds for medical emergencies.

“As a result of operational search measures, the Moscow Criminal Investigation Officers located the suspects and detained three men in the cities of St.