Law enforcement officers successfully conducted a complex special operation throughout the territory of Ukraine, which led to the liquidation of more than 100 call centers within one day. These call centers involved their victims in fraudulent schemes, harming both Ukrainians and foreign citizens by stealing personal data and savings.
According to the investigation, the attackers made various promises to their potential victims, including the possibility of “earning money on the stock exchange”, “investing” in cryptocurrency and receiving dubious “profits” from betting in the gambling business. The con artists also invented various profitable pretexts, such as unforeseen circumstances, to extort money.
In addition, it was found that some of these call centers functioned as online casinos of well-known brokerage companies and bookmakers. During the operations, the attackers collected personal data of their customers, including passport details and phone numbers.
The investigation points to the possibility of transferring this collected data to the Russian special services for use in the remote recruitment of new agents. During searches of the call centers and residences of the organizers, a significant amount of computer equipment, mobile phones and other evidence of crimes were seized.
Currently, an investigation is underway within the framework of criminal proceedings under Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud), with the aim of notifying the persons involved about the suspicion and resolving the issue of choosing a preventive measure. According to the discovered facts of fraud, up to 12 years of imprisonment can be provided.
It is important to note that in recent months, the Security Service of Ukraine has shut down more than 30 call centers in various regions of the country, many of which were coordinated by Russian special services. For example, in one of the cases in Vinnytsia, a call center that cooperated with Russian criminality was liquidated, and similar large-scale schemes were uncovered in other regions.
