Yulikov Alexander Mikhailovich

Yulikov Alexander Mikhailovich

Biography

2024: Phone fraud victim

In early October 2024, it became known that telephone scammers stole more than ₽5 million from the famous artist Alexander Yulikov using deepfake technology and the theme of neo-Nazism. The incident occurred in September 2024.

According to Izvestia, the attackers contacted Yulikov, posing as employees of the Moscow mayor's office. Using deepfake technology, they organized a video call with a fake image of the mayor of the capital. During the conversation, the artist was informed about the allegedly stolen ₽1 billion from the city treasury by supporters of neo-Nazi movements and his involuntary involvement in the theft of ₽30 million sent to Ukraine.

Fraudsters convinced Yulikov to cooperate with law enforcement agencies to capture the "real criminal." Subsequently, the artist received a call from a person who introduced himself as an economic security inspector. Under the pretext of protection from fraud by bank employees, Yulikov was convinced to withdraw ₽1,1 million and €26 thousand from his account.

On September 9, 2024, the victim handed over the ₽3692700 to an unknown person, receiving fake bank statements in return. On September 12, the artist gave another ₽400 thousand, €2 thousand and $10.9 thousand, allegedly to legalize cash.

The deception scheme continued until September 27, when a meeting was to take place with the mayor of Moscow, which was agreed in the first conversation. When the meeting did not take place, Yulikov realized that he was a victim of fraud, and turned to the police.

The total amount of damage caused to the artist is estimated at more than 5 million rubles. Law enforcement agencies are checking on the fact of what happened.

Aleksandr Yulikov is known as the Soviet and Russian minimalist artist. The incident with him highlights the growing sophistication of fraudulent schemes that use modern technology and current socio-political topics to deceive citizens.^[1]

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