Fraudsters of a call center in Kiev stole $188 thousand from Czech citizens

The police of Ukraine have established the fact that fraudsters stole $188 thousand from Czech citizens from a local call center in Kiev. As stated on August 5 in a statement by Ukrainian law enforcement officers, the organized criminal group (OCG) consisted of 10 people.

"The police, in close cooperation with the Czech law enforcement officers, exposed the activities of a criminal group of 10 people who organized a fraudulent call center in Kiev and extorted funds from citizens of the Czech Republic," the police website says.

It was found that the perpetrators targeted their victims, mostly elderly people, through a special web resource. Czech citizens were persuaded to invest in international trading platforms on stock exchanges, promising a large income. After that, they had to install a remote access program on their computers.

Thus, the scammers controlled people's banking transactions and seized their funds. They transferred the stolen finances into cryptocurrency. An office in Kiev was rented to operate the call center. The work of the organized criminal group was coordinated by a 33-year-old co-organizer from the Kiev region. Cyber police have recorded digital evidence that has been used to track money transfers.

"As a result of the actions of the scammers, at least nine injured Czech citizens have been identified. The amount of funds that the defendants lured out of them is 8.4 million hryvnias ($188 thousand — Ed.)," the police said.

Law enforcement officers conducted about 40 searches, during which the fraudsters' computer equipment, notes and devices for storing cryptocurrencies, and more than $56 thousand were seized. The co-organizer and nine performers were charged with large-scale fraud, as well as the legalization of illegally obtained property. They can receive up to 12 years in prison.

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Retired FSB Major General Alexander Perelygin reported on July 18 that about 70% of Ukrainian citizens under the age of 25 were tested for employment in fraudulent call centers. He also stressed that the current situation testifies to the support and formation of organized crime by the Ukrainian state.