Scammer Pretends to Be 'Kidnapped' Vladimir Putin, Claims Body Double Started War in Ukraine
A scammer pretending to be a "kidnapped" Vladimir Putin was recently exposed online after asking for money to return to Russia to stop the ongoing war in Ukraine, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a comical development to come amid reports that Putin regularly uses body doubles due to his allegedly failing health, it was revealed one unidentified person was pretending to be the 70-year-old Russian leader in an effort to scam social media users out of money.
According to Daily Star, the fake Putin was exposed after a screenshot of the attempted scam was posted to Twitter over the weekend.
"This is Vladimir Putin, President of Russia,” the person wrote. "Some people kidnapped me and put my duplicate in Russia. I didn't start the war, he did. I escaped and now hiding in your country.”
"Can you send me [$30] so I can go back to Russia and stop this war,” the scammer continued. “This is really me."
The conman then offered to send a selfie to “prove” he was really the Russian president.
Shortly after the scammer’s messages were posted to Twitter, a number of users on the platform ridiculed the fake Putin and quipped that he should launch a GoFundMe.
"Might as well start a GoFundMe," one person wrote.
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"Looks legit!" another Twitter user joked, while a third user added: "Top 10 biggest Plot Twists in Human History.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the scammer’s attempts to receive money by pretending to be Putin came shortly after the Russian leader came under fire for allegedly sending a series of body doubles to a number of recent high-profile events.
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While Putin was long rumored to utilize body doubles, a Ukrainian intelligence official recently claimed he had evidence proving the Russian leader uses “at least three” doppelgangers.
"We know specifically about three people that keep appearing, but how many there are, we don't know,” Major General Kyrylo Budanov said in March. "They all had plastic surgery to look alike.”
"The one thing that gives them away is their height,” he continued. “It's visible in videos and pictures. Also gesturing, body language and earlobes, since they are unique for every person."