Cyber experts from the Security Service of Ukraine, together with Czech law enforcement officers, have dismantled a call center that was stealing cryptocurrency and bank accounts from EU residents. It included 70 operators, as well as IT professionals who were advertising fake investment programs on the Internet.
Cyber experts from the Security Service of Ukraine, together with Czech law enforcement officers, have dismantled a call center that was stealing cryptocurrency and bank accounts from EU residents. It included 70 operators, as well as IT professionals who were advertising fake investment programs on the Internet.
The SBU reported the detention of four fraudsters who used viral programs to steal cryptocurrency and bank accounts of foreigners. For this, the organizers created an underground call center in Uzhhorod, which employed at least 70 operators aged 19 to 27.
«They called foreigners, presented themselves as investment consultants and persuaded them to invest in 'promising' crypto projects», — Ukrainian law enforcement officials noted.
The scam also involved IT professionals who created online ads promoting fake investment platforms. In both cases, victims were asked to register for an online account, which allowed the attackers to hack other people’s devices.
The fraudsters then accessed users' crypto wallets and banking apps and transferred the stolen funds to their own accounts, stealing at least 2 million hryvnias in the process.
The organizers of the fraudulent scheme were informed of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud on an especially large scale). They face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Previously, scammers came up with a new scheme to send messages supposedly from Oschadbank. Even people who do not have active accounts in this bank receive notifications. In addition to SMS messages, scammers also create fake chatbots where they communicate with Ukrainians in the corporate style of the financial institution.
