Fraudulent scheme with “SBU courier”: court in Kyiv remanded defendants in UAH 37.5 million case into custody
28 November 2025 21:36
The Sviatoshynskyi District Court of Kyiv has imposed pre-trial restraints on three suspects in a large-scale fraud in which the victim lost cash and gold worth about UAH 37.5 million. This is reported by Court Reporter, citing court materials, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
How the scheme worked
According to the investigation, the fraud took place on November 13 near a Kyiv supermarket. The woman handed a package with a large sum of money and valuables to an unfamiliar man:
- $140 thousand.
- 2260 euros
- 5.7 kg of gold bullion
Law enforcement officials claim that the offender posed as a courier, allegedly acting on behalf of the Security Service of Ukraine and supposed to “seize” the valuables. To be convincing, he used a pre-agreed code-password – “1236”.
After receiving the package, the man got into a car where an accomplice was waiting for him, and they left the scene.
Detention and identification
A few days later, police detained three suspects. According to the court rulings, the victim recognized the “courier” by his distinctive features: tall, red beard and mustache.
The court’s decision
The court chose different preventive measures for the three defendants:
- Two suspects were taken into custody with the possibility of bail:
- uAH 2.4 million
- uAH 500 thousand
- The third was placed under nightly house arrest.
The investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement officers do not rule out that other persons may have been involved in the scheme.
