Pseudo-clairvoyants who extorted money from the wives of missing servicemen were detained in Kyiv
A group of women were exposed in Kyiv who, under the guise of “fortune tellers”, defrauded relatives of deceased and missing servicemen, using psychological pressure and manipulation. The perpetrators have already been reported of suspicion.
According to law enforcement, the scheme was organized by a 50-year-old resident of Cherkasy region, involving relatives and acquaintances in the activity. The three participants offered their services on esoteric websites, through messengers, and launched targeted advertising on social networks to expand their audience.
They promised clients answers to personal questions, “removal of curses,” and help with love affairs. They convincingly told military families that they could find out if their husbands were alive and when the meeting would take place.
“They were especially cynical about military families – giving women false hope, assuring them that their husbands were alive and would soon return home. Psychologically depressed clients repeatedly turned to “divination”, hoping to hear at least some hope,” law enforcement officials reported.
The suspects claimed to have supernatural abilities and demanded payment for conducting “rituals”. If they refused, they intimidated the victims with negative consequences for their relatives. The women were persuaded to take out microloans, transfer jewelry, or take them to a pawnshop to pay for services.
One of the victims transferred about a million hryvnias from state assistance to the defendants in connection with the death of her husband. For each “consultation”, she paid from 6 to 50 thousand hryvnias. Another woman paid 370 thousand hryvnias for “removing damage”, of which 5 thousand hryvnias were spent on several “magic” candles. The total amount of damage is almost 1.4 million hryvnias.
Law enforcement officers conducted ten searches, during which they seized cash, bank cards, computer equipment, draft records, occult paraphernalia, business cards, and weapons.
Three members of the group were informed of suspicion under parts 4 and 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – fraud. The sanction of the article provides for up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.
