Over the course of a week, police officers, together with the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General’s Office, inspected the infrastructure of fraudulent call centers whose operators posed as bankers, brokers, and law enforcement officers to gain access to people’s bank accounts.
"In total, 411 searches were conducted and the operations of 94 fraudulent call centers were stopped. Police found 1,794 fully equipped workstations in the premises. 26 suspects have already been notified of suspicion," the National Police reported in a statement on their website on Wednesday.
According to police, during the investigative actions, more than 3,000 units of computer equipment, 90 bank cards, access means to 20 crypto wallets, and 22 vehicles were seized.
"About $2 million, 64 thousand euros, cash in hryvnias, a kilogram of investment gold in bars, and jewelry were also seized," the report says.
Police emphasize that behind seemingly ordinary offices, officers uncovered an extensive infrastructure created for the systematic scamming of citizens.
"The schemes varied, but all were aimed at obtaining money or account access from victims," the statement specifies.
According to the National Police, in some cases operators called on behalf of banks to report alleged suspicious transactions or the threat of account blocking. In others, they introduced themselves as brokers and persuaded victims to invest in fictitious investment and cryptocurrency platforms. Some victims were promised help in recovering funds they had previously lost to fraudsters.
"People were persuaded to transfer funds to controlled accounts, apply for loans, disclose bank card details and confirmation codes, as well as install remote access software on their phones and computers," police noted.
In addition, certain call centers specialized in target searching for people interested in investing.
Another line of fraudulent activity uncovered by police was the sale of dietary supplements without a doctor’s prescription.
"The medicines themselves, by their chemical composition, possessed no therapeutic properties. Operators offered them to people as treatments for various diseases, although the products were sold without medical prescriptions or recommendations," the statement specifies.
According to the National Police, some call centers targeted foreign citizens. In particular, in one of the proceedings, Ukrainian police together with German colleagues are documenting the activities of a network that defrauded citizens of the European Union.
The suspects’ actions are classified depending on their role and circumstances of committing crimes, specifically under Part 4 and Part 5 of Article 190 and Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – fraud and laundering of property obtained through crime. The maximum penalty for the charged crimes is up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.
Currently, police are analyzing the seized equipment and financial transactions, identifying victims and the full extent of damages caused, as well as locating scheme organizers, other network participants, and individuals who facilitated the withdrawal and laundering of funds.
