Ukrainian investigators have uncovered a scheme targeting residents of the country and the European Union in various financial scams, including some related to cryptocurrencies. Members of the criminal organizations contacted their victims through call centers to collect personal financial information.
Fake Ukrainian call centers promise foreigners high profits from crypto trading.
Officers of the National Police of Ukraine and the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine have dismantled a criminal group designed to misappropriate money from citizens of the country and several EU countries. Its members offer investors to participate in the exchange of crypto assets, securities and commodities.
Investigators found that the fraudsters set up a network of call centers and posed as officials of state-run banking institutions to obtain credit card information. They used high-tech tools and software that allowed them to change their phone numbers to look like official numbers of banks.
The scheme’s organizers employed fake websites and exchange platforms to trade fiat and digital currencies, securities, gold and oil. In order to attract investment funds, they promised to make a profit in the short term, the National Police of Ukraine detailed in a press release published on Tuesday.
Moreover, the fraudsters had access to a database containing the contact information of foreign nationals who had previously been targeted in similar attempts. A so-called “cryptocurrency broker community” tracks down victims and offers them back their stolen crypto for a “commission”.
After receiving the services of the non-existent body, these people were sent details to transfer to the accounts controlled by members of the commission’s criminal plan. After receiving the money, the “brokers” suddenly disconnect and the lost cryptocurrency is never returned.
During searches of call center addresses by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, computer equipment, mobile phones and records confirming illegal activities were seized. Under the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the perpetrators could face up to 12 years in prison if convicted of large-scale fraud committed by an organized group and the use, distribution or sale of harmful software.
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Image credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, National Police of Ukraine