Kyiv law enforcement officers have exposed two men. They are accused of extorting money from a 79-year-old man by posing as SBU employees.
This was reported by the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police of Kyiv.
The investigation established that the former high-ranking official had received a phone call from an alleged SBU employee. The man began to accuse the pensioner of financing the aggressor state. To exert more pressure, the pseudo-law enforcement officer told the victim about criminal proceedings opened against him and sent fake summonses.
“According to the fraudsters, it was possible to prove their innocence by “verifying” and “declaring” the funds in a special structure. Under psychological pressure and threats, the man agreed to comply with the demands and, during a personal meeting, handed over cash in various currencies totaling 6.7 million hryvnias to one of the group members,” the report says.
According to the Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office, he gave away $110,710 and €10,200, as well as savings in Israeli shekels, British pounds, and Czech crowns.
According to the case materials, the defendant and his accomplice later transferred the funds to a crypto wallet, and the exchanger refused to accept other currencies. They each kept $300. The detectives detained both suspects and are currently investigating their involvement in similar crimes.
Men who were reported as suspicious. Kyiv Police/Telegram
Both defendants were informed of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 190 Fraud committed on a particularly large scale or by an organized group . The sanction of the article provides for up to 12 years with confiscation of property. The court chose a preventive measure for both men – detention with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 4.9 million hryvnias and 3.3 million hryvnias, respectively.
According to a source from “Ukrainian Pravda”, the victim is the 6th Prime Minister of Ukraine, Valeriy Pustovoitenko. (His government worked from July 16, 1997 to December 22, 1999 during Leonid Kuchma's first presidential term).
“Law enforcement officers emphasize: criminals are increasingly using the theme of war, imitating “law enforcement agencies” and playing on people's fear of the law. This case is another reminder: no state bodies require you to hand over cash “for verification.” In the event of such calls, you should immediately contact the police,” the message says.
It was previously reported that the capital's law enforcement officers suspect a 36-year-old man from Sumy region of fraud. According to the investigation, he presented himself as an employee of the Security Service of Ukraine and swindled a 71-year-old People's Artist of Ukraine out of more than 128 thousand US dollars and 400 thousand hryvnias. The suspect was detained and a preventive measure was chosen – detention with the alternative of bail in the amount of more than 3.3 million hryvnias.