A large “call center” that was scamming millions was exposed in Ukraine

In Kharkov, law enforcement officers liquidated a fraudulent call center that deceived Latvian citizens by embezzling almost 11 million hryvnia. The organizer and four participants were detained and the investigation continues.

The National Police of Ukraine reported this. This operation was the result of a thorough investigation, carried out jointly with international partners, which resulted in the arrest of five members of the criminal organization, including its organizer.

How the fraudulent scheme worked

A group of criminals, led by a 27-year-old Kharkov resident, created a complex fraudulent scheme that included attracting Latvian citizens to fictitious investment projects. The defendants called potential victims offering to invest in cryptocurrency or stocks, promising significant returns. If the victim agreed, she was sent links to websites that the attackers had carefully crafted to create an impression of legitimacy.

By clicking on these links, victims provided scammers with access to their computers. Criminals installed personal accounts on computers on fake trading platforms created specifically to mislead victims. Maintaining the illusion of real activity, scammers administered these platforms, creating the impression of active trading and investment growth.

When victims tried to withdraw their “income,” the scammers came up with various excuses to avoid this. They insisted that you need to wait or that the stock will soon increase in price, so you need to invest even more. In reality, the victims’ money was transferred to the criminals’ cryptocurrency wallets and then cashed out through exchange offices controlled by them.

Investigation and arrests

The Kharkov cyber police worked diligently to identify the members of this criminal group. Twenty searches were carried out at their places of activity and residence, as a result of which five people were detained, among whom was the organizer of the scheme. During the searches, important evidence was seized, including documents, equipment with contacts of victims, SIM cards of Latvian operators, a grenade, as well as a significant amount of cash, about 160,000 US dollars, 250,000 hryvnia and 5 luxury cars.

The detainees were charged with suspicion under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, in particular, for fraud on an especially large scale and participation in a criminal organization. All of them remain in custody without bail. Investigators continue to work to identify three more participants in this fraudulent scheme.

The investigation into this case was carried out in close cooperation with international partners, in particular the Cybercrime Department of the Latvian Criminal Police Headquarters, the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Latvia and Eurojust. Procedural guidance was provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.