The Russian Deception

Documentary

56 min.

A gripping true-crime documentary that delves into a massive online investment fraud involving Russian swindlers, crypto-hunters, and insider connections to the criminal underworld.

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THE RUSSIAN DECEPTION investigates the 2022 collapse of Juicy Fields, an investment platform that scammed thousands of global investors for a total loss of 645 million Euros. The investors believed they were funding a visionary cannabis cultivation project, only to discover they were victims of an elaborate fraud. The documentary has spectacular access to a highly ranked insider from a Russian criminal network, who reveals the true extent of the fraud - a carefully crafted façade involving glamorous Instagram influencers, fake business alliances and intricate money laundering operations. For the first time the insider names the masterminds behind the scam, who ran away with all of the money. The scam, orchestrated by Russian serial swindlers, mirrors other cryptocurrency investment frauds. The Russians employ an advanced system build on the old Russian tradition of ‘Potemkin Villages’, where they construct an illusion that convinces everyone of its credibility. Through interviews with victims, police investigators and criminal networks experts, the film exposes how these criminal masterminds have deceived over 500,000 people. THE RUSSIAN DECEPTION not only tells the story of a massive fraud, but also highlights the growing role of Russian organized crime as a strategic weapon against the West. The film unravels the web of financial scams, sabotage, and money laundering, offering a gripping investigation into the anatomy of fraud and the powerful forces behind it.

  • Director

    Boris Benjamin Bertram

  • Producer

    Mikala Krogh

  • Produced by

    DR in collaboration with SVT, YLE

  • Original title

    The Russian Deception

  • Format

    56 min.

  • Release

    2024