One of the defining hallmarks of Islamic State has been its presence on social media. While the group’s violence and ruthlessness has often seemed medieval in its brutality and ideology, it is undeniable that Islamic State has been comprehensively the most modern terrorist organisation of all time – thanks to its online presence.

The horror of public executions goes hand in hand with the use of social media to recruit and design its own narrative of the war in the Middle East, and the group’s success online is a constant concern for security agencies around the globe. But it seems it’s not a one way street for Islamic State on social media, and the group has been victim to a typically modern scam – it seems the Islamic State has been ‘cat fished’.

Three Chechen women contacted Islamic State fighters and requested money to travel to Syria to join the group and their fight, RT reports.

In the style of many an online scammer, the women set up fake profiles, with fake pictures and then requested money to make the trip to the Middle East. Once the cash had arrived in their accounts they would cut off all contact, shutting down their accounts and effectively disappearing with the cash. By the time they were caught by local police they had extracted a total of some $3,300 from several men. The women have admitted they had no intention of ever joining the Islamist group although one did say she once considered it.

The women have been detained by police, with the Chechen online crimes unit discovering the scam and arresting the women.

Chechnya is a predominantly Muslim region and there is growing support for the Islamic State there and Islamic State activists have been actively recruiting from the Federal Republic on social media.

The group has formed a Russian speaking propaganda group, called Furat Media, and release Russian language versions of its many propaganda items – including videos and social media posts. In the 1990s jihadists from around the world travelled to join the war of independence.

The Chechen government strongly backs Moscow and Vladimir Putin however and leader Ramzan Kadyrov has vowed to eradicate any trace of Islamic State from Chechnya.