Ukraine exposes fraudsters who set up an underground call center and cheated EU citizens out of their money
Kyiv • UNN
Ukrainian law enforcement officers, in cooperation with Latvian authorities, dismantled an international scheme to extort money from investors in electronic exchanges, arresting three key organizers and seizing evidence.
Ukrainian law enforcement officers, together with their colleagues from Latvia , have eliminated an international scheme to extort money from investors in electronic exchanges. This was stated by the Security Service of Ukraine, UNN reports.
Details
It is noted that cyber specialists of the Security Service together with the National Police, the Prosecutor's Office and law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Latvia took part in the operation.
As a result of a special operation in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Dnipro region, three organizers of the fraud were detained.
SBU officers exposed the criminals at the "start" of their criminal activity, documented several facts of fraudulent manipulations and detained the main suspects.
The investigation revealed that the organizers involved seven other residents of Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv. Another accomplice is hiding abroad.
During 14 simultaneous searches of the fraudsters' residences, the SBU seized computer and server equipment, documentation, draft records and bank cards with evidence of the fraud.
The three detainees were served a notice of suspicion under Part 4 of Art. 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud committed on a large scale or through illegal transactions using electronic computers). The offenders face up to 8 years in prison
It is noted that the foreign accomplice of the criminals was served a notice of suspicion in absentia.
Addendum
The SBU explained that the criminals had set up an underground call center that operated under the guise of one of the EU's independent financial regulators.
In this "status," fraudsters called European investors in online exchange fund projects and offered them "investment protection.
During the conversations, the defendants promised to carry out "security monitoring" of electronic transactions, and in case of doubtfulness, to return the invested funds to the owners.
The cost of such "services" amounted to 30% of the amount of one investment
In addition, "on the advice" of the fraudsters, their victims had to install a specially developed mobile application on their gadgets. It allowed the criminals to fully control the victims' financial transactions.
Having gained access to private money, the offenders withdrew it to their own bank accounts and cashed it out. In this way, the fraudsters hoped to cheat the victims out of millions of hryvnia equivalent
Recall
Fraudsters hacked into the accounts of the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights to fraudulently offer families of prisoners of war to include their relatives in the lists for exchange for money.
