The National Police of Ukraine has uncovered a large-scale criminal scheme in which a call center in Kyiv organized the operations of a fake financial platform. Under the guise of investments in the stock market, cryptocurrencies, and shares of “promising” companies, the perpetrators embezzled money from citizens of European Union countries.
This is reported by Business • Media
Details of the Uncovering and Amounts of Losses
Law enforcement officials established that the criminal group created a number of pseudo-trading online platforms, where they showcased fictitious profits to potential clients. More than 30 foreign citizens were affected, including five who lost 8.2 million UAH by “investing” in cryptocurrencies.
Law enforcement seized “over $1.4 million, more than 5.8 million hryvnias, and 17,000 euros in cash, obtained through criminal means,” as well as equipment, records, and information carriers.
A Kyiv call center with 20 workstations played a key role in the scheme. The leader, along with two accomplices, organized the work of operators who called EU citizens and convinced them to invest in non-existent financial instruments. Managers for VIP clients remotely installed special software on their computers, allowing them to control the investors’ devices and show them fictitious investment successes.
The funds raised were transferred to cryptocurrency wallets and later cashed out at exchange points in Kyiv. During the special operation, police conducted 21 searches in the premises of the call center, vehicles, and residences of the suspects.
Penalties and Other Similar Cases
The investigation qualifies the actions of the perpetrators under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud in especially large amounts). Three members of the group have already been notified of suspicion, and the police have applied to the court for a preventive measure in the form of detention. The suspects face up to 12 years in prison.
This case is another in a series of revelations of criminal schemes related to cryptocurrencies and financial fraud. In particular, in May 2023, the police, together with the FBI, dismantled a network of nine unlicensed exchanges involved in money laundering. In March 2024, a group was detained for illegally smuggling men abroad, accepting payment in crypto assets. In June, prosecutors in Kyiv region uncovered a fraud scheme disguised as cryptocurrency development, where EU citizens lost several million hryvnias. October 2025 saw the discovery of fake cryptocurrency in Khmelnytskyi, and subsequently, a resident of Ternopil lost over $28,000 due to a fake investment platform.