Олександр Кузьменко Crypto 5 January 2026, 16:15

A fraudster in Odessa tried to pay with cryptocurrency "wrappers" for gadgets worth UAH 100,000

The National Police exposed an attacker from Odessa who paid for goods with invalid crypto tokens worth 2,500 USDT.

The National Police reported that a 32-year-old resident of Odessa purchased wireless headphones, a laptop, and two mobile phones for a total of UAH 99,000 in one of the city’s stores. He suggested that the seller pay for the goods in the USDT cryptocurrency, and helped register a crypto wallet on one of the exchanges, after which he transferred invalid tokens to it.

When a message was sent to the entrepreneur’s crypto wallet about the alleged transfer of more than 2,500 USDT, the fraudster took the goods and left the store. The seller tried to withdraw the funds for several days, and later contacted the cryptocurrency exchange’s support service, where he was informed that the tokens transferred to the wallet had no value.

When the businessman realized that he had been scammed and turned to the police for help, the police identified the attacker and searched his apartment, during which they seized his mobile phone and computer equipment.

The perpetrator pleaded guilty and compensated the victim for most of the damages. He faces up to eight years in prison.