In Kyiv, fraudsters posing as "SBU inspectors" swindled nearly 11 million hryvnias from an 83-year-old surgeon
Kyiv • UNN
In Kyiv, fraudsters posing as the SBU swindled 11 million hryvnias from an 83-year-old surgeon. A suspect courier from Uzhhorod was detained and taken into custody.
In Kyiv, fraudsters posing as an "SBU inspection" seized the savings of an 83-year-old doctor and professor, forcing him to hand over about 11 million UAH. A 30-year-old resident of Uzhhorod has been notified of suspicion in the case; according to the investigation, he acted as an accomplice and helped launder the money through cryptocurrency. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General, according to UNN.
Under the procedural guidance of the Shevchenkivskyi District Prosecutor's Office of Kyiv, a 30-year-old resident of Uzhhorod has been notified of suspicion of aiding and abetting the fraudulent seizure of funds belonging to a well-known doctor
According to the investigation, the fraudsters, exploiting the trust of the 83-year-old thoracic surgeon, Doctor of Medical Sciences, professor, and laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine, convinced him under the guise of an "SBU inspection" to hand over his savings, allegedly to verify the legality of the funds' origin. The perpetrators called the victim, posing as "colonels of the SBU and the police," and informed him of alleged criminal proceedings opened against him for financing the enemy.
During a pseudo-search conducted via video call, the victim was forced to disclose the amount of his savings and pack the funds into bags separated by currency. In total, he handed over 180,000 US dollars, 30,000 euros, and 1,600,000 UAH — the equivalent of about 11 million UAH.
The money was picked up by a courier, who the next day transferred it to the crypto-wallet of the scheme's organizers. He has now also been notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Art. 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and a preventive measure has been chosen — detention with the right to post bail of 3.3 million UAH.
It was established that the courier was a coach at a children's sports school from Uzhhorod, who was promised 500 dollars for completing the "task." He acted on the instructions of an acquaintance. His involvement in at least five other similar episodes of fraud is being checked — relevant materials were discovered during a search of his phone.
Other participants in the criminal scheme are currently being identified.