Fake bank employee: how fraudsters cheated a Hromadske TV producer out of UAH 300 thousand
8 October 2025 22:07
Natalia Movshovych, an executive producer at Suspilne, became a victim of cyber fraud while on vacation abroad.
The attackers called from a number similar to Kyiv and warned her through an automated voice system about a “suspicious login to Monobank.” She reported this on her Facebook page, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The woman was then connected to an alleged “bank employee” who convinced her that her account had been hacked and that she urgently needed to “close the installment plan.”
How the scheme worked
- The fraudsters posed as bank employees and created an atmosphere of haste and urgency.
- Natalia was instructed to press buttons, “link Face ID”, and transfer money to the account of a “bank employee’s sole proprietorship” for a “refund”.
- As a result, three transactions for tens of thousands of hryvnias took place without additional confirmation.
In total, the producer lost 300 thousand hryvnias.
Bank and police response
Monobank blocked the card after the complaint, but the money had already been partially withdrawn.
The victim immediately filed a complaint with the cyber police.
According to her, even after being exposed, the fraudsters continued to call her, trying to convince her to “unblock the card.”
Why this is important
- Fake calls from bank bots are becoming more and more common in Ukraine.
- The loss of UAH 300,000 from a public figure is a resonant signal to society, as it shows that even people with media experience and knowledge of risks can fall into the trap.
- The mobile application was a vulnerable point, where transactions took place without additional levels of protection.
In July 2024, a similar story happened to journalist Tetiana Khmel from Zhytomyr: fraudsters stole 139 thousand UAH that she was raising for a drone for the military.
According to the cyber police, the number of such cases is growing every year, and fraudsters are using more and more sophisticated methods – from fake websites to deep voice fakes.
