In Moldova and Ukraine, members of a fraudulent group who defrauded Ukrainian Armed Forces military personnel of over one million hryvnias were exposed. Five perpetrators from Bălți (Moldova) were taken into custody. In Ukraine, searches were conducted in 8 regions at the residences of individuals who may be involved in the fraud. This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine, as conveyed by UNN.
Law enforcement officers detained five members of the criminal group in Moldova and shut down the operations of a fraudulent call center in Bălți (Republic of Moldova). They have been notified of suspicions and remanded in custody.
The police also added that Khmelnytskyi police operatives "exposed a group of pro-Russian residents who, through advertisements on internet platforms, offered military personnel transport, generators, quad bikes, and other goods."
"After receiving an advance payment, the perpetrators disappeared without delivering on their promises," the police reported.
Subsequently, it was reported that the organizer and main participants of the group had moved to Moldova, where they set up a fraudulent call center in the city of Bălți. Several bank card owners were involved in the scheme, to whom the victims transferred money.
"Thanks to Europol channels, Ukrainian police passed on data to their colleagues in Moldova. Based on this information, the National Investigation Inspectorate opened a criminal proceeding," law enforcement officers noted, adding that an agreement was also signed to create a joint investigative group for greater effectiveness.
Thus, in cooperation, law enforcement officers established the residences of the group members, the location of the "call center," and the drops. Their involvement was proven in at least 20 episodes.
"The amount of damages reached over 1,000,000 hryvnias," law enforcement officers emphasized.
Ukrainian and Moldovan operatives conducted joint operations in the cities of Bălți and Ungheni and "detained the organizer and four of the most active participants. All individuals involved are related by family ties."
In Ukraine… searches were conducted in Khmelnytskyi, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, and Vinnytsia regions at the residences of individuals who may be involved in the fraudulent scheme. Bank cards, draft records, mobile phones, etc., were seized.