Authorities in Ukraine have shut down 94 fraudulent call centers across the country that lured people into investment scams or tried to gain access to bank accounts.
The operation took place this week and police officers carried out a total of 411 searches following an investigation involving the National Police, the Security Service of Ukraine, the General Prosecutor’s Office and German police.
According to Ukrainian police, fraudsters ran various schemes to get money from victims or gain access to their bank accounts.
In some cases, they posed as bank employees and called victims on the pretext of questionable transactions, threatening to freeze accounts unless payment was made.
Scammers sometimes convinced victims to apply for loans, provide payment card details and install remote access tools on phones and computers.
“Law enforcement officers simultaneously inspected the infrastructure of fraudulent call centers whose operators posed as bankers, brokers and law enforcement officials, lured people into fake investment platforms and gained access to their bank accounts,” Ukrainian police said in press release.
“A total of 411 raids were carried out and the operations of 94 fraudulent call centers were shut down.”
Source: cyberpolice.gov.ua
During the operation, the police found and seized the following items:
- 1794 fully equipped workstations
- 3336 pieces of computer equipment
- 1346 phones
- 5200 SIM cards
- 90 bank cards
- Tools to access 20 cryptocurrency wallets
- 22 vehicles.
- 2 million dollars, 64,000 euros and Ukrainian hryvnias in cash
- 1 kilogram of bank gold in bars and jewelry
Also, 26 people have been officially notified that they are suspects.
Police say some of the call centers investigated targeted nationals in foreign countries, particularly the European Union, by tricking them into “investing” in fake brokerage platforms and installing remote access software on their computers.
In other cases, the operators called on behalf of the banks and notified targets that allegedly suspicious transactions had been detected on their accounts and the accounts would be blocked.
Some victims were promised help to recover the money they had already lost to scammers, only to be scammed a second time.
According to the police, some call centers advertise products as medical treatments for various ailments, even though the products have no actual medicinal properties.
The police found that the call centers run special teams that specialize in identifying people with a genuine interest in investing.
People involved in these schemes can be charged with crimes related to parts 4 and 5 of article 190 and part 3 of article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provide for penalties of up to 12 years in prison and confiscation of property.
Police are currently conducting a forensic examination of the seized equipment, which will help identify the victims and the extent of their losses. The investigation is also expected to reveal evidence to incriminate the organizers of the scheme, as well as other participants in the operation, such as mules and money launderers.
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