Scammers have devised a new scheme to extort money from Ukrainian movie stars and show business personalities
8 May 10:15
Renowned Ukrainian film director and screenwriter Mykhailo Illienko has warned of a new wave of telephone scams, with representatives of the Ukrainian film and entertainment industries increasingly becoming the targets, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the director, this time the scammers devised a scheme involving a supposedly intercepted package. The fraudsters called on behalf of the Security Service of Ukraine and claimed that a package had been sent to the director from a “suspicious address,” inside which a tracking device had allegedly been found.
“At first, the conversation proceeds politely, but as soon as the person refuses to continue talking on the phone, the tone changes abruptly,” the director explains.
Yuriy Illienko noted that after he refused to play along with the “script,” direct threats began.
“First, a shocking surprise; then, pressure, escalation, and an attempt to resort to manipulation. For some reason, scammers have taken a particular liking to filmmakers,” Illienko notes.
As it turns out, the case involving Mykhailo Illienko is not an isolated one. Many of the director’s colleagues have already approached him with similar stories.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
The most high-profile case this spring was a scam targeting the well-known singer and professor Valentina Antoniuk. The scammer, posing as an SBU employee, used psychological pressure to swindle the artist out of $128,000 and 400,000 UAH.
The police managed to detain one of the suspects (a 36-year-old resident of the Sumy region), but the money had already been transferred via cryptocurrency.
READ ALSO: Bank mistook call from Pope for prank and hung up
Taras Topolia (leader of the band “Antytila”) also fell victim to the scammers. In late 2025, the musician reported a massive attack on him and his inner circle. The scammers hacked his data and began calling and texting Taras’s friends from unknown numbers, impersonating him and asking for urgent financial assistance. Taras Topolia then publicly warned his colleagues that his number had not changed, and that any requests from other contacts were fake.
Singer Zlata Ognevich even became the face of an awareness campaign by the Kyiv police after she herself had repeatedly faced attempts at fraud and harassment.
In 2024, the organizer of Zlata Ognevich’s concert stole approximately 10 million hryvnias from her and several other artists.
These schemes often culminate in absurd but psychologically coercive accusations, such as “treason.” In this way, scammers attempt to intimidate the victim and force them into financial transactions.
Cybersecurity experts advise against negotiating with scammers. Genuine law enforcement officials do not address issues of “treason” or suspicious packages via messaging apps or over the phone.
The best defense in such cases is to hang up immediately and call the agency at its official number to verify the information.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
