Sometimes good offers turn out to be a trap, and big earnings are just a myth. Three young men were exposed in Kyiv who created a fake Telegram channel for “investing in cryptocurrency” and defrauded 78 people for a total of over 500 thousand hryvnias. They now face imprisonment for up to eight years.
How did the scheme work?
The attackers founded and administered a Telegram channel with the promising name “1MILLION COMMUNITY.” Through it, they advertised supposedly high-yield investments in cryptocurrency, collecting money from gullible citizens onto their own bank cards.
The scheme was simple but effective:
- The promise of quick profits – participants assured investors that the invested funds would grow in a few days.
- Payment of “commissions” – when victims wanted to withdraw their “earned” funds, they were forced to pay additional fees.
- Blocking – after receiving significant amounts of money, investors were simply blocked.
To attract new victims, scammers published fake reviews from “satisfied customers” who allegedly made money through this scheme.
As of today, 78 victims have been identified, who lost over 500 thousand hryvnias. The perpetrators partially compensated for the losses, but the amount of compensation is insignificant compared to the amount of damage caused.
The three defendants were charged with organizing fraud under Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (“Fraud”). They face imprisonment for a term of three to eight years.
