Unknown Man Scams Germany Resident by Exchanging Old Belarusian Rubles for Euros

Reform.news Editorial Team · 3 November 2026, 17:03

https://reform.news/en/unknown-man-scams-germany-resident-by-exchanging-old-belarusian-rubles-for-euros/

An unknown man scammed a local resident in Mainz, Germany, by exchanging 2,000 old Belarusian rubles for 500 euros.

According to police, on the evening of November 2, the stranger approached a man who was leaving a supermarket in the Neustadt district. He said he urgently needed money to return to Belarus and offered to exchange Belarusian rubles for euros.

The stranger handed the man four 500-ruble banknotes and claimed they were worth a total of 600 euros. The victim checked the exchange rate on Google and agreed to the deal. He got into the stranger’s car, travelled to the nearest bank, withdrew 500 euros and handed the money to the man. The stranger then gave him a chain, claiming it was made of gold.

The victim later discovered that he had received 2,000 non-denominated Belarusian rubles, equivalent to 20 kopecks, in exchange for 500 euros. The authenticity of the chain also raised doubts.

Police are searching for the suspect. He is known to have been travelling in a BMW X6. A woman and a child were also in the car.