The scam came to light after numerous online advertisements offered “space rocks” at prices reaching up to $1 million, with sellers making unfounded claims about their celestial origins.
“Most ads falsely claimed these stones came from Mars, the Moon, or even gaseous planets like Uranus,” said Colonel Saeed Pirzad, deputy chief of Tehran’s Cyber Police (FATA).
Authorities confirmed that while meteorite sales aren’t illegal, 99% of recent online listings were fraudulent.
“Investigations revealed sellers either possessed no stones or peddled ordinary rocks as rare meteorites,” Colonel Pirzad noted.
Gemology experts warn buyers to verify authenticity through accredited centers.
The arrests follow a surge in scams after Paytaxt – a drama featuring a meteorite subplot – reignited fascination with cosmic collectibles.
