The Central District Court of Mykolaiv on December 16, 2024, granted temporary access to banking secrecy in a fraud case
The Central District Court of Mykolaiv on December 16, 2024, granted temporary access to banking secrecy in a fraud case
The case concerns the appropriation of funds from a victim who was deceived through an online ad offering her «easy» earnings. During the investigation, it was established that the victim, who agreed to perform tasks via mobile applications, transferred more than 50 thousand hryvnias to the fraudsters from her own credit card.
The criminal proceedings describe the detailed mechanism of the fraudulent scheme in which the victim fell victim to online scammers. Here is a step-by-step account of how the scheme worked:
The scammers began their «communication» with the victim via a message on her mobile phone. On August 20, 2024, the victim received a message on her phone with the following text:
«Hi, I’m from TikTokHR and I want to invite you to become our online employee. All you need is a phone to earn from 3,000 to 10,000 hryvnias per day in your free time. Leave a message now and get a 100 hryvnia bonus. To learn more, contact us via WhatsApp.»
This was the first phase of the fraudulent scheme — luring the victim with the promise of easy money.
When the victim contacted the scammers, she was asked to click on a link and join a WhatsApp chat. In the chat, a correspondence began with the subscriber (name not specified in the materials), in which the victim was persuaded to perform simple tasks for money.
The scammers offered the victim tasks on the TikTok platform — watching videos and giving likes. For completing these tasks, she was promised money with interest. However, to receive this interest, she had to first subscribe to the tasks.
The first few tasks didn’t require money. However, the next task did require financial participation.
After some time, the scammers offered to make a prepayment for the next task — the amount was UAH 500. The victim made the payment to the scammers' bank card, which was indicated for the transfer.
After payment, she received a small amount on her card, which involuntarily increased her trust in the scammers — thus their first «gift» had an effect, and the victim agreed to continue the interaction.
The scammers continued to manipulate the victim by offering new tasks that supposedly would earn her money. The following tasks required additional payments:
Importantly, the scammers always asked the victim to pay via bank card, rather than other secure methods, which allowed them to more easily control financial flows.
The scammers claimed that after successfully completing the task, the victim would receive significant interest on her deposits. The victim did indeed receive some of the promised funds, which further increased her trust. She continued to pay, completing the tasks requested by the scammers.
The scammers used the tactic of «escalating the stakes,» forcing the victim to gradually increase the amounts to participate in subsequent tasks. They also used manipulation through certain «emergencies» or «urgent need for action» so that the victim did not have time to think.
After the eighth task, the victim was informed that she needed to complete several more steps to receive the promised money. However, the victim began to suspect that she was being deceived. She refused further tasks and contacted law enforcement. The total amount she spent on these fraudulent transactions was UAH 50,462.8.
After the victim realized she had fallen victim to a fraudulent scheme, she reported it to law enforcement. The scammers, meanwhile, continued to manipulate other victims, as the scheme proved quite profitable for the criminals.
