How a Fake Letter From Dead Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Is Scamming People
A new scam has emerged following the death of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Scammers are posing as Navalny’s supporters circulating a fraudulent letter that they claim was written by the dead leader. The fake letter promotes an initiative that it claims was the brainchild of Navalny to ensure the “financial well-being” of the Russian people, Meduza reported. The letter encourages people to invest in the initiative and the money reportedly ends up in the pockets of the scammers as the entire thing is a scam.
Who was Alexei Navalny?
Navalny was Russia’s top opposition leader and President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe. He was serving a 19-year sentence in prison on charges of extremism. The anti-corruption campaigner stood against corruption in Russia for decades and was the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). However, since his imprisonment, he went from being the Kremlin’s biggest foe to Russia’s most prominent political prisoner.
The 47-year-old blogger and political leader had previously survived poisoning attempts and made it through some of Russia’s most notorious jails after his group had exposed rampant corruption at almost every level of the Russian state, news agency AP reported.
He frequently targeted President Vladimir Putin and even from behind bars, at a time unable to challenge the president at the ballot box, his voice held great power and influence.
In December last year, Navalny was moved from his former prison in central Russia to a “special regime” penal colony, which is the highest security level of prisons in Russia, located above the Arctic Circle, as per the report.
The fierce leader’s voice finally fell silent on February 16 when the Federal Penitentiary Service said that he had died in prison, in a statement. The statement claimed that Navalny had gone for a walk where he fell unconscious and died.
What is The Fake Navalny Letter Scam?
After Navalny’s death, the fake letter started circulating on Facebook, by scammer groups posing as supporters of Russian opposition leaders. A photo of the letter is being shared which shows it was written by Navalny to his wife Yulia.
Scammers are spreading a fake letter they claim Navalny wrote not long before his death, which says he hoped to ensure Russia’s “financial well-being.” The fake letter encourages investment into a “project” — the money from which goes to the scammers. https://t.co/sFXomRxocV
— Meduza in English (@meduza_en) February 22, 2024
The fraudulent post says that before his death, Navalny, “sent a letter to his wife, in which he said that he wants to share the initiative he’s been developing for five years and to use it to help fellow citizens provide for their families.”
Furthermore, the fake letter says that, likely, Navalny will soon “not exist” and that his biggest wish is to “ensure the country’s financial well-being.” It further notes that he failed to achieve his goal but he is now sharing a “financial project” which he has been preparing for the past five years. The letter further says that Navalny wanted everyone to know about the initiative and invest in it.
According to Meduza, the letter adds that “Witnesses say the initiative makes up to 600 euros [$641] per day, trading assets from the largest companies with the help of artificial intelligence.” Lastly, the fraudulent post shares a link for victims to download the initiative and start earning money. However, the link takes victims to a website run by the scammers.
Once the victims click on the link and try to access the fake Navalny initiative, they are then prompted to fill out a form with their personal information.
After this, a scammer from the group contacts the victim posing as their “personal manager” and convinces them to invest a certain amount to start earning “quickly”. Further, if the victim invests the money in the fake “initiative”, it goes straight to the scammers who then promptly disappear as per the report.