A fraudster from Uzbekistan devised a clever scheme to deceive residents of Moscow.

Axar.az reports that he simply changed his surname to a well-known one and tricked people.

The fraudster presented himself as the cousin of Russia’s former Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and claimed that his family owned their own stock exchange. He also claimed to have invested 1.5 million rubles and later received interest on it.

The 27-year-old migrant, Sheryekhon Osmanova, devised a bright plan: she contacted officials and had her documents officially reissued under the name Sherye Shoygu.

Many victims fell for the fake general’s cousin’s story. According to lawyer Said Yarehmedov, the total damage exceeded 200 million rubles.

Even when depositors demanded their money back, it became clear that all the funds had disappeared. Now, the defrauded Muscovites are filing complaints with the police.