Law enforcement officers shut down Telegram channels in four regions of Ukraine that were posting fake videos and photos of schoolchildren with offensive content. The administrators of these channels, with a total audience of 10,000 subscribers, then demanded money to remove the content.
Law enforcement officers shut down Telegram channels in four regions of Ukraine that were posting fake videos and photos of schoolchildren with offensive content. The administrators of these channels, with a total audience of 10,000 subscribers, then demanded money to remove the content.
This was told to Suspilny by Anna Ostrovska, the chief specialist for information policy at the Zhytomyr Regional Prosecutor's Office.
We are talking about four Telegram channels: “ZHYTOMYR Mirror”, “VINNYTSA Mirror”, “ROVNO Mirror” and “ODESSA Mirror”.
"These groups published photo and video materials with obscene posts that did not correspond to reality, with the aim of illegally enriching themselves at the expense of other people's funds. The content mainly concerned underage students of educational institutions," said Ostrovska.
Group administrators sent messages listing the cost of services for removing such materials.
"The deletion took place after the funds were credited to the bank cards with confirmation in the form of a screenshot of the payment. Free deletion was not carried out. Thus, people were encouraged to transfer funds for the deletion and not to post similar information in the future. The total number of subscribers to the aforementioned groups was about 10 thousand people," Ostrovska added.
As a result of the investigation, the person who organized these channels, whose activities have now been suspended, was identified. If proven guilty, the organizer faces imprisonment for a term of 7 to 12 years with confiscation of property.
