The State Attorney’s Office filed an indictment on Monday against a self-proclaimed matchmaker for allegedly defrauding disabled and vulnerable clients of thousands of shekels.
The indictment was filed at the Lod District Court against 22-year-old Elad resident Nachman Aharon.
Aharon was accused of exploiting the vulnerability of disabled clients he met on social media, and at times threatening them with an airsoft gun resembling a real pistol.
The indictment, filed by Miri Biton Harel from the Central District Prosecutor’s Office, claimed that Aharon opened a Facebook and Telegram matchmaking group specifically for disabled clients.
It was while running the aforementioned groups that it is claimed he impersonated a matchmaker, a police officer, and issued threats with an airsoft gun to obtain victims’ credit cards and steal funds from them.
On one occasion, the indictment alleged, Aharon called a disabled victim, who resided in a rehabilitation housing facility, and posed as an officer to claim the victim had been prey to a credit card fraud scheme. During this call, it is claimed that Aharon obtained the man’s address. After obtaining this information, Aharon is accused of traveling to the victim’s home while impersonating a police officer armed with both an airsoft gun, and a fake gun license.
Believing Aharon to be an officer, the indictment claimed that the victim handed over his credit card information and that Aharon stole cash and a credit card from another resident of the facility.
Once in possession of the credit cards, the indictment claims that Aharon made purchases on the food delivery app Wolt and the Taxi app Gett, along with several other attempted transactions and withdrawals, which amounted to 1000s of shekels.
After allegedly using the credit cards without consent, the indictment alleged that Aharon returned to the address, again while impersonating a police officer, and demanded the victim’s ID card. After reportedly declaring the ID a fake, it is claimed that he robbed the victim of NIS 200 with his airsoft gun while threatening to harm him.
Exploiting victims with serious cognitive decline
In another case, Aharon was said to have exploited a man with a severe cognitive impairment, introducing himself as a matchmaker and demanding the victim’s credit card information as payment for the service.
After obtaining the card, it is alleged that the defendant purchased petrol at a gas station and attempted to make transactions amounting to several thousand shekels.
The indictment charges Aharon with aggravated fraud, impersonating a public servant, robbery, forging a document with intent to fraudulently obtain benefits under aggravated circumstances, among other offenses.
The prosecution has requested that Aharon remain in custody until legal proceedings conclude, citing his alleged history of acting with sophistication and premeditation, exploiting the victims’ intellectual vulnerabilities, threatening them, and instilling fear and terror.