Authorities around the world are concerned about the way the terrorist group Islamic State makes use of social media to lure young people and convince them to come to the Middle East to fight.  But it turns out that the lure goes both ways, and some young ladies in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya beat the bad guys at their own game.

The young women had apparently been contacted over the Internet by jihadis, and decided to play along.  They said they'd be willing to travel to Syria, if only they had the money.  That's actually a standard request for ISIS recruiters, who try to lure their online targets with money and gifts.  What islamic State didn't know is that the women had no intention of goingto a desert war zone.  They took the money, and immediately closed their social media profiles, cutting off all communications with the recruiters. 

Unfortunately, the US$3,300 transfer piqued the interest of cops, who brought the women in for questioning.  They now face fraud charges.

"I don’t advise anyone to communicate with dangerous criminals, especially for grabbing quick money, said Chechen police officer Valery Zolotaryov.

Usually, it's young women who are scammed by Islamic State, which targets Muslim communities around the world, and Chechnya is not immune.  They're told a bunch of lies about the purported heroism of the fighters and the jihadist lifestyle, and gradually convinced to leave their parents' homes.  But once the women arrive, they find themselves taken advantage of, married off against their will to unknown fighters, beaten or even killed for refusing to obey the terrorists.