Dozens of families of Iranians imprisoned following the December protests have been targeted in fraudulent schemes promising legal assistance and leniency, according to Dadban, a network of pro bono lawyers supporting political prisoners and activists in Iran. The organization reported that perpetrators, often claiming ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or judicial officials, demanded substantial sums of money in exchange for promises of bail, charge reduction, or release.

One woman identified as “Mrs. M,” whose husband was detained in connection with the protests, recounted receiving a phone call from someone alleging cooperation with the IRGC. The caller demanded 400 million tomans—approximately $300—to persuade a judge to grant bail. Despite initial difficulties, Mrs. M managed to provide the funds at a designated location, only for the individual to disappear afterward, signaling she had been defrauded.

Dadban also described a separate incident involving the sister of another detainee, who was contacted via the encrypted messaging app Telegram by an individual claiming access to confidential case information. This person offered to reduce her brother’s charges from espionage—a crime that carries the death penalty—to a lesser offense in exchange for 50 Bitcoin. According to Dadban, the sister rejected the offer.

In addition, families of detainees were sometimes assigned lawyers by the regime’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), only to find these legal representatives demanding exorbitant fees, sometimes in the billions of tomans, with promises that their special connections could secure their relatives’ release.

Dadban emphasized that many fraudsters possessed detailed information about the detainees’ cases, implying access to internal judicial files or sources within Iran’s security and legal systems. The group raised concerns that withholding information and maintaining opacity about legal proceedings renders families vulnerable to exploitation, exacerbating their emotional and financial distress. Some families have reportedly sold property to meet extortionate demands.

The organization further questioned whether any legitimate avenue exists to influence national security legal cases, noting that despite numerous payments extracted under the guise of judicial intervention, no detainee’s case has improved as a result.

Kurdish activist Rebin Rahmani, director of the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, corroborated that such scams are widespread both for political and non-political detainees. He described a recurring pattern in which individuals pose as intermediaries with judges or prosecutors, collecting money on promises of favorable legal outcomes that rarely materialize, leaving families significantly financially harmed.

These developments underscore ongoing challenges faced by families of political prisoners in Iran, who confront not only the legal repression of their loved ones but also exploitation by fraudulent actors amid opaque judicial processes.