Law enforcement officers in Kyiv have detained four citizens. They are suspected of impersonating SBU employees and defrauding elderly Kyiv residents of about 9 million hryvnias.
This was reported by the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police of Kyiv.
The suspects are a 27-year-old Kyiv resident (the organizer of the scheme) and his three friends, aged 21 to 22. According to the investigation, the suspects called elderly women and introduced themselves as law enforcement officers. During the conversations, they intimidated and convinced the Kyiv residents of the need to urgently transfer cash to them. The money was needed to supposedly verify their origin due to possible ties to Russia.
It is noted that each of the participants played a role. One of them acted as a courier – he came to the victims' homes and collected the money. Another controlled the process of transferring funds and the further movement of cash through illegal currency exchange points and cryptocurrency wallets. Another participant coordinated individual episodes.
“Over the past two months, law enforcement officers have identified four victims – residents of the capital aged 68 to 88. The criminals lured them out of about 9 million hryvnias,” the report says.
Law enforcement officers detained the suspects and informed them of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – fraud committed on an especially large scale. The sanction of the article provides for up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. Other possible victims and citizens involved in illegal activities are currently being identified. At the request of investigators, the suspects are in custody.
It was previously reported that a 74-year-old Kyiv woman turned to the capital's law enforcement officers and said that she had been cheated out of all her savings. Investigators found out that the woman had received a call from an unknown person who introduced himself as an SBU officer. He convinced the Kyiv woman that her number was supposedly displayed on the territory of Russia, so all the funds stored at her home needed to be “checked” for involvement in illegal activities. The police searched for the suspect, a 31-year-old Kyiv resident.