Moscow Region residents who stole at least 1 million rubles moved funds into cryptocurrency

Law enforcement detained four residents of the Moscow region suspected of stealing at least 1 million rubles. The proceeds of the crime were transferred into cryptocurrency, according to the Interior Ministry.

The investigation began after a Moscow resident reported the theft of more than 120,000 rubles. She said that an unknown person contacted her, claiming to be a security officer from a bank. He stated that funds had been unauthorizedly withdrawn from her account and promised to help recover the money.

For this, she was asked to provide her card details and the code from the message sent to her phone. After the capital resident supplied this, funds were withdrawn from her account as payment for a purchase in an appliance store.

During the investigation, police detained four suspects and established their involvement in at least three other incidents with a total loss of about 1 million rubles.

With the stolen money, the criminals purchased mobile-phone credit and resold it, and then transferred the funds into cryptocurrency, according to the Interior Ministry.

At the suspects’ registered addresses, law enforcement officers seized SIM cards, equipment, and also found bank cards issued to third parties.

A criminal case has been opened for theft, and the investigation continues.

Earlier, Moscow police detained suspects in the organization of a call centre, whose employees stole money from citizens’ bank accounts. Some of the funds were transferred into cryptocurrency.

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