Two fraudulent call centers were uncovered in the Vinnytsia region
In the Vinnytsia region, law enforcement officers uncovered the activities of two fraudulent call centers, whose operators used various pretexts to trick citizens into revealing their personal and banking information. During searches, police identified 37 operators and seized dozens of computers and mobile devices.
The illegal call centers were uncovered by investigators from the Investigative Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Vinnytsia Oblast, in collaboration with operatives from the Strategic Investigations Department in Vinnytsia Oblast of the National Police’s Strategic Investigations Service.
According to law enforcement, a group of individuals organized the operation of two fraudulent offices in Vinnytsia and the surrounding region. To do so, the perpetrators rented an apartment in the city as well as premises on the grounds of a resort.
There, they set up workstations with the necessary equipment, independently recruited operators, and coordinated their work.
Roles were assigned among the call center employees: administrators, HR staff, “closers,” IT specialists, and operators.
Administrators oversaw the operations of the offices and staff; operators called potential victims; and, when necessary, more experienced “closers” would join the conversation.
At the call center, which operated on the grounds of a resort, employees called citizens on behalf of banking institutions and government service providers.
They offered various financial services to call recipients, including assistance with applying for interest-free loans. During the calls, the scammers attempted to obtain detailed information about bank accounts.
Some of the call center’s employees also lived on the grounds of the resort.
The second office operated out of a rented apartment in Vinnytsia. There, the operators posed as representatives of a dating website.
Under the pretext of registering users and collecting payment for the site’s services, they obtained personal and banking information from users.
According to the investigation, separate conversation scripts were developed for citizens of the Russian Federation.
In such cases, the operators presented themselves as employees of Russian banks. To build trust, they studied the structure of Russian financial institutions, the names of their services, and the relevant terminology in advance.
Once they obtained the necessary data, the perpetrators, according to the investigation, gained access to the victims’ funds and then transferred the money to bank accounts and e-wallets under their control.
On September 11, police officers, with the support of KORD special forces and a special operations company of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Vinnytsia Oblast, conducted authorized searches at the call centers’ business addresses.
During the investigative operations, law enforcement officers seized:
60 laptops, 43 cell phones, surveillance cameras, video recorders, and other technical equipment.
In addition, five vehicles were seized and taken to a temporary vehicle impound lot.
At the time of the searches, 37 operators aged 17 to 28 were present at the two locations.
They were questioned as witnesses and served with summonses for further investigative proceedings.
The seized equipment and data storage devices were sent for forensic analysis. The data obtained should help establish the full operation of the fraudulent offices, the flow of funds, and the circle of potential victims.
The criminal case is being investigated under Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—fraud.
Law enforcement officials are currently conducting further investigative measures to identify all the organizers of the call centers and the role each of them played in the fraudulent scheme.
The pretrial investigation is ongoing under the procedural supervision of the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in accordance with the procedure established by law and confirmed by a court conviction.
This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine.
The proliferation of fraudulent call centers in Ukraine appears to be a targeted Russian sabotage operation, stated NABU Director Semen Kryvonos.
In Lutsk, law enforcement officers shut down a fraudulent call center that generated approximately $500,000 in revenue each month. The investigation is currently ongoing.
The scammers pose as delivery drivers to trick people out of their money.
The scammers began extorting money from fans in the name of a well-known Ukrainian singer.
