Ukraine halts call-centre scam that siphoned funds by posing as cryptocurrency investments

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has halted the activities of criminals who extorted funds from citizens of the European Union and CIS under the guise of investments in cryptocurrency, securities, gold and other assets.

According to the SBU site, the gang organised a network of “call centres”. The criminals, impersonating employees of well-known brokerage firms, called victims and offered earnings from trading various assets, promising large profits in a short time.

After taking the funds, they blocked the “investors”.

The criminals also used databases of victims from similar schemes and offered to recover funds for a commission. After paying it, they terminated contact with the victims.

The SBU called the scheme a “transnational fraudulent mechanism”. Its organizers included citizens of Ukraine as well as other states. The operation was coordinated from Kyiv.

During searches, SBU officers seized more than 2 million hryvnias of stolen funds, servers and documents.

The investigation continues.

Earlier in December, Kharkiv police exposed a gang of criminals, who, posing as bank employees, stole money from citizens’ accounts.

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