“Healed” and removed “damage”: scammers on TV defrauded Ukrainians of UAH 3 million

Kharkiv scammers used television broadcasts to extort money by promising healing. They defrauded Ukrainians of 3 million hryvnias.

This was reported by the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.

The latest operational news from Kharkiv in our Telegram channel. Subscribe to stay up to date with the most important information

A group of scammers organized a “business” on gullible people. They worked through television broadcasts, posing as clairvoyants and extorting money for “healing rituals.”

How did the scammers operate?

According to the investigation, a 56-year-old Kharkiv resident created a criminal group, to which he added a 59-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman. Together, they organized a fraudulent scheme under the guise of “distance healing” through a popular TV show.

The essence of the scheme was as follows:

• On television broadcasts, other accomplices of the scammers introduced themselves as “clairvoyants” under fictitious names: “Mira”, “Margo”, “Nadiya”, “Azaria”, “Stephania”, “Asiya”, etc.
• They convinced viewers that they could cure their illnesses or remove “damage.”
• Trusting people were persuaded to transfer funds to controlled accounts.

Among the victims of the scammers are seriously ill Ukrainians and their relatives, who gave the scammers significant sums in the hope of “healing”.

How much money did the fraudsters steal?

During the investigation, it was established that the total amount of funds received was almost 3 million hryvnias . The fraudsters withdrew the received money from bank cards and distributed it among themselves.

During the searches, the following items were seized from the suspects:

• computer equipment;
• 19 mobile phones;
• more than 30 bank cards;
• 65 thousand hryvnias and 6.5 thousand US dollars.

The seized funds have been seized.

What threatens the suspects?

The three suspects were remanded in custody for 60 days . The court set bail amounts as follows:

• for the organizer – 908,400 UAH;
• for two accomplices – 454,200 UAH each.

The defendants are charged with fraud committed in a prior conspiracy by a group of persons , on a large scale and repeatedly (Parts 4, 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). They may receive up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property .

The investigation is ongoing.

Law enforcement officers continue to identify all participants in the fraudulent scheme, as well as the victims among citizens of Ukraine and Europe.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Main Directorate of the Kharkiv Region Police Department. Operational support is provided by the Department for Combating Cybercrime in the Kharkiv Region.

According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Join our Telegram channels:

Sourse: Source