In the Khmelnytskyi region, a woman defrauded a victim of 500,000 hryvnias by posing as a provider of magical services

A 44-year-old woman from Khmelnytskyi lost half a million hryvnias after turning to an online “healer” to remove “negative energy.” While in a depressed state, the victim found the fortune-teller’s ad online and spent a month paying for fictitious rituals and “monks’ prayers.” 

This was reported by the National Police in the Khmelnytskyi region, noting that law enforcement has already launched an investigation.

The fraudster manipulated the woman’s emotional state, convincing her of the danger she faced and the need for special rituals to change her fate. Only after the amount spent reached a critical point did the victim realize she had been deceived and contact the police. Investigators are currently identifying the fraudster as part of criminal proceedings under the fraud statute.

The police once again urge citizens to be vigilant and not to trust dubious offers of magical assistance on social media. Criminals often exploit people’s psychological vulnerability during difficult periods of life for their own financial gain. All circumstances of the incident are being investigated, and law enforcement is working to block similar resources that offer pseudo-services such as “energy cleansing” or “fate correction.”

In the Sumy region, police detained a “fortune-teller” and “healer” who defrauded a woman out of 1.9 million hryvnias. The suspect was ordered to be detained with the possibility of bail.

Earlier in Kharkiv, a criminal group was exposed that, posing as volunteers, stole from and robbed elderly people. The perpetrators operated in several cities across Ukraine; they have been detained, and all will face trial.

In the Odesa region, a woman was detained who had been calling the relatives of missing servicemen and posing as a volunteer.