On July 10, 2025, the Nassau County Police Department in Long Island, New York arrested 49-year-old Siarhei Raydna for serving as a money mule for a PayPal refund scam, where:
- the victim, in this case a 79-year-old female, would receive an email falsely claiming they were charged $364 for a purchase made on PayPal, urging her to call a designated number.
- the scammers who answer the call will trick the victim into installing the application “RNVC Connect,” which will further trick victims into thinking they got a refund of $50,000.
- the victim will then be asked to withdraw $50,000 from their bank account, convert them into gold coins and hand them off to a designated courier, or money mule.
- later on, the scammer will request an additional $171,600 in gold coins, then an additional $41,000.
Raydna was arrested and charged with grand larceny in the 2nd degree, a class C felony punishable by up to 15 years prison.