Military and volunteers were defrauded of UAH 46 million: Criminal group operating in Moldova and Ukraine was exposed. PHOTOS
Law enforcers stopped the activities of an organised criminal group whose members were "selling" non-existent drones and cars for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Internet. To date, 67 episodes of criminal activity have been established. As a result of a joint international operation in Moldova, nine members of the criminal group were detained.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press service of the National Police and the OGP.
Fraud with the sale of cars and drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
It is noted that during 2023-2024, an organised group of criminals defrauded Ukrainian servicemen, their families and volunteers under the pretext of selling non-existent cars and drones to the Armed Forces.
A joint investigation team was established by the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organised Crime and Special Affairs of the Republic of Moldova.
Law enforcement officers established that the offenders were aged 17 to 46. With the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, eight defendants, who lived in Odesa region, moved to the Republic of Moldova, from where they began to implement fraudulent schemes.
Fraudsters targeted military and volunteers
"The criminal activity was organised by a 34-year-old native of the Russian Federation, who distributed among his accomplices the responsibilities of supplying SIM cards of Ukrainian mobile operators to Moldova, creating fake ads on popular marketplaces and an advertising campaign to promote their "services" on the Internet," the National Police said.
The criminals posted ads for the sale of vehicles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine at attractive prices. The offenders communicated with potential buyers in one of the messengers and agreed on a subscription fee for bringing the car from abroad or purchasing drones.
Such ads were published on the online platforms OLX, Bon.Ua, and Avto-Ria.
"The most cynical thing was that the offenders demanded that the victims document their affiliation with the Armed Forces or volunteer activities. Then, having received money from them, the scammers mocked the victims, expressed slogans in support of Russia, deleted correspondence and blocked customers without fulfilling their obligations," law enforcement officers said.
The defendants withdrew money from ATMs in the Republic of Moldova or used it for online payments. The money was laundered by purchasing premium vehicles and gold items.
Detention of members of a criminal group
Within the framework of international cooperation, police conducted 23 searches in the Republic of Moldova and 13 in Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions at the residences and vehicles of the offenders.
"Money in the amount of about 250,000 hryvnias, 61,000 dollars, 20 premium vehicles, about 5 kg of gold items, mobile phones, more than 80 cards of banks in Moldova, Ukraine and Russia, weapons, draft records, computer equipment were seized," the prosecutor's office said.
So far, 67 episodes of criminal activity have been identified, and the preliminary amount of losses exceeds UAH 46 million.
Suspicions are announced
The police detained eight members of the criminal group in Moldova. The defendants and their accomplice were served notices of suspicion under Part 6 Article 190 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova. The detainees were taken into custody by court order.
Ukrainian law enforcement officers are investigating criminal proceedings under Part 4 of Article 190 (Fraud), Article 209 (Legalisation (laundering) of the proceeds of crime) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. They face up to 12 years in prison.
The exposure of the offenders was facilitated by representatives of the security services of commercial banks of Ukraine. The investigation is ongoing to identify the offenders' accomplices. In the course of the investigation, the criminal actions of the fraudsters may be further classified.
