Targeting Divorced and Single Women, Embezzler Swindles 30 Million Dram

The investigation into large-scale embezzlement and theft by means of trust abuse has concluded at the Erevan Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia. According to the Investigative Committee, the inquiry revealed the mechanisms of the offenses, as well as the identity of the suspected perpetrator, a resident of the Armavir region born in 1985.

During the investigation, it was determined that the suspect, having mastered psychological techniques for gaining people's trust and easily misleading them, decided to commit fraud and specifically targeted divorced or single women. To execute his plan, he primarily established acquaintances through social media platforms such as Facebook and Odnoklassniki, presenting himself as a government official and creating the impression of a trustworthy individual by making false promises of marriage, companionship, and improving social and housing conditions. Under the pretense of helping acquire a residence, he misappropriated the trust of 14 women during 2017-2019, carrying out 18 episodes of significant, large, and especially large-scale thefts, amounting to a total of approximately 30,000,000 Armenian drams.

Subsequently, to legalize the illegally acquired funds, he registered his relatives, acquaintances, and close associates in one of the payment systems and, having control over their username and password, managed their accounts through a mobile application, into which the victimized women transferred their money. As a result, he embezzled the funds transferred to these accounts through various banking operations, namely transferring the money from account to account and then withdrawing it in cash.

Based on sufficient evidence collected in the criminal case, charges have been filed against the resident of the Armavir region under Article 178, Part 1 (two episodes), Article 178, Part 2, Point 2 (ten episodes), Article 179, Part 2, Point 3 (one episode), Article 178, Part 3, Point 1 (four episodes), and Article 176, Part 2, Point 4 (one episode) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. The criminal case, with an accusatory conclusion, has been sent to court.