A criminal organization was exposed in Kyiv, which, under the guise of providing legal assistance, appropriated the funds of foreign citizens
Prosecutors of the Office of the General Prosecutor in Kyiv exposed the activities of a criminal organization that embezzled funds of foreign citizens under the guise of legal aid, and reported its participants about suspicion.
According to the investigation, the organization operated in Ukraine and specialized in fraudulent schemes related to the so-called “chargeback” — the alleged return of investments after cooperation with fake online brokers. Fraudsters called residents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and EU countries, introduced themselves as lawyers and promised to help return lost money.
Using social engineering techniques, they sent fake documents, called on behalf of “judicial” or “tax” authorities, used deepfake technology to mask faces and forced victims to pay “fees”, “court fees” or “taxes”. Often, victims were persuaded to take out loans or sell property in order to make another “payment”.
According to preliminary data, more than 4,500 people were injured, and the total amount of damages exceeds UAH 186 million. The organization had a clear structure: from investors and coordinators to team leaders who trained agents and executors who were in direct contact with victims. The participants invested illegal income in elite real estate in Kyiv, land in the suburbs, and premium cars.
During the searches, computer equipment, instructions, backup copies of the CRM system, correspondence in messengers and data on crypto wallets were seized, which made it possible to establish the roles of all participants. Nine people were detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. They were informed of the suspicion of creating and participating in a criminal organization (Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and fraud (Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Currently, the issue of selecting precautionary measures is being resolved.
The pre-trial investigation is carried out by employees of the GSU and the DSR of the National Police of Ukraine under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General’s Office in cooperation with the competent authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
