A Cameroonian national is facing prosecution in Russia over a magic trick involving black paper mysteriously turning into banknotes. He allegedly used it to swindle over $23,000 from a Moscow resident, who thought the get-rich-quick scheme was real.
The suspect found his victim, who lives in the center of the Russian capital, via a messenger app and sold him on the con with a demonstration video, the Russian Interior Ministry reported on Tuesday.
The video released by the ministry showed three actual 100-dollar bills covered in black paint, which the swindler simply dissolved on camera, claiming it was some sort of transformation.
The two later met in person, and the con artist exchanged some cut black paper for the hefty sum. When the prize failed to turn into real money after 40 minutes as promised, the mark turned to the police for help, spokeswoman Irina Vovk said in a statement.
The Cameroonian swindler has been found and taken into custody, according to police. He is facing a prison term of up to ten years for fraud on a grand scale.