Sold non-existent drones and cars: fraudsters defrauded the Armed Forces of Ukraine of UAH 46 million
14 August 2024 11:32
ФОТО
Law enforcers in Ukraine and Moldova exposed an organised criminal group whose members were “selling” non-existent drones and cars for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Internet. The fraudsters managed to cheat the defence forces out of about 46 million hryvnias. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the press service of the National Police of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General’s Office.
So far, 67 episodes of criminal activity have been identified. The criminals were detained as part of an international special operation in Moldova.
The Prosecutor General’s Office added that law enforcement officers of the Republic of Moldova served suspicion notices of fraud on 9 Ukrainian citizens.
At least 27 members of the criminal group have been identified, most of them are in the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Measures are being taken to detain them.
Since 2023, the criminals have been defrauding Ukrainian servicemen, their families and volunteers under the pretext of selling non-existent cars and drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
It was established that the offenders were aged 17 to 46. With the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, eight defendants, who lived in Odesa region, moved to Moldova, where they began to implement fraudulent schemes.
The criminal activity was organised by a 34-year-old native of Russia, who distributed among his accomplices the responsibilities of supplying sim cards of Ukrainian mobile operators to Moldova, creating fake ads on popular marketplaces and an advertising campaign to promote their “services” on the Internet. Such ads were published on the online platforms OLX, Bon.Ua, and Avto-Ria.
The offenders posted ads for the sale of vehicles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine at attractive prices. The offenders communicated with potential buyers in one of the messengers and agreed on a subscription fee for bringing the car from abroad or purchasing drones.
The offenders were particularly cynical in that they demanded that the victims document their affiliation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine or volunteer activities. Then, having received the money from them, the scammers mocked the victims, expressed slogans in support of the Russian Federation, deleted correspondence and blocked customers without fulfilling their obligations.
The defendants withdrew money from ATMs in Moldova or used it for online payments. They legalised the funds by purchasing premium cars and gold items.
Within the framework of international cooperation, police conducted 23 searches in Moldova and 13 searches in Odesa and Dnipro regions at the residences and vehicles of the offenders.
Money in the amount of about UAH 250,000, USD 61,000, 20 premium vehicles, about 5 kg of gold items, mobile phones, more than 80 bank cards of Moldova, Ukraine and Russia, weapons, draft records, computer equipment were seized.
So far, 67 episodes of criminal activity have been established, and the preliminary amount of losses exceeds UAH 46 million.
Currently, 8 out of 9 suspects in the Republic of Moldova have been chosen as a preventive measure in the form of detention without the possibility of bail. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
Ukrainian law enforcement officers are investigating a criminal proceeding under Part 4 of Art. 190 (Fraud), Art. 209 (Legalisation (laundering) of the proceeds of crime) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The criminals face up to 12 years in prison.
