In the Carpathian region, a man defrauded acquaintances out of 5.4 million
In the Carpathian region, police arrested a 38-year-old man suspected of fraud totaling more than 5.4 million hryvnias. According to the investigation, he defrauded three acquaintances by offering to help them buy cars or sell their apartments at a profit. The man now faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, law enforcement officers arrested a 38-year-old man suspected of three counts of fraud. His victims were people he knew well and who, according to preliminary data, were easily taken in by him.
The total amount of losses exceeded 5.4 million hryvnias. The National Police of Ukraine reported the arrest. According to the investigation, the man twice offered to buy cars from his acquaintances. In another instance, he offered to help sell an apartment.
An acquaintance handed over a Volkswagen Touareg to him
The first incident occurred in February 2024. The man learned that his acquaintance wanted to sell a Volkswagen Touareg and offered to buy the car himself. They had been friends for a long time, so the car’s owner did not suspect any fraud. He handed over the SUV, the keys, and the documents to his acquaintance. The buyer was supposed to pay $55,000 for the car. However, the owner never received the money.
Two weeks later, the car—valued at over two million hryvnias—had already been re-registered in another person’s name. According to police, the suspect used documents with forged signatures to do this. In other words, the man received the car but, as law enforcement officials claim, had no intention of paying for it.
He promised another acquaintance he would sell an apartment at a profit
A few months later, according to investigators, the man devised another scheme. This time, it involved an apartment worth $35,000. He offered to help another acquaintance sell the property at a good price. To do this, the owner handed him the apartment’s documents. The suspect assured the owner that he could sell the apartment at a profit and return more money to the owner. However, instead of delivering on his promise, the man, according to the investigation, took possession of the property.
Another Car
In April 2025, as investigators established, another of the man’s acquaintances fell victim to his actions. This time, he offered to buy a car from the woman for $52,000. She also trusted her acquaintance and handed over the car, the keys, and the registration documents to him.
The police noted that a total of three people were victimized by the suspect’s actions. “As investigators have established, three of the suspect’s acquaintances were victimized by his actions. The amount of damages caused exceeds 5.4 million hryvnias,” the National Police reported.
The man was taken into custody
Law enforcement officers detained the 38-year-old man and informed him that he was suspected of violating Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The charge is fraud on an especially large scale. The court ordered him to be held in custody as a preventive measure. However, the suspect may be released on bail, which is set at over 1.3 million hryvnias.
If the man is found guilty in court, he could face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property. Currently, investigators are establishing all the circumstances surrounding these three cases and reviewing the suspect’s actions.
