A group of fraudsters who were stealing homes from elderly people was exposed in Kyiv

The National Police have identified seven suspects who, according to the investigation, gained the trust of elderly people living alone in order to take possession of their real estate, and also embezzled more than 2 million hryvnias in state compensation intended for the purchase of housing for military personnel.

 

According to law enforcement officials, the group members acted according to a premeditated plan and had assigned roles. They sought out elderly people living alone, helped them with daily tasks, and spent time with them, gradually gaining their trust and access to their property. Subsequently, the suspects were able to influence the victims’ decisions regarding the disposal of their real estate.

Investigators believe the group was organized by a 49-year-old woman from Kyiv. According to police, she coordinated her accomplices, sought out potential victims, and oversaw the execution of real estate transactions. One of the documented incidents involves the seizure of a portion of an apartment in Kyiv that belonged to an elderly woman.

Separately, law enforcement uncovered a scheme to embezzle public funds intended to provide housing for certain categories of military personnel. According to the investigation, a former military servicemember—who was entitled to state housing compensation—and his wife were involved in the scheme.

To receive the payment, the suspects drew up a contract for the sale of a house with a plot of land in the Kyiv region at an artificially inflated price. After the compensation was transferred, the money was withdrawn in installments and distributed among the participants in the scheme. The total amount of embezzled funds exceeded 2 million hryvnias.

As part of the investigation, operatives from the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, together with Crimean police investigators, conducted 16 authorized searches in Kyiv and the Kyiv region with the support of special forces.

Seven suspects were notified of their status as suspects in a fraud case involving particularly large sums. Two of them are additionally charged with attempted murder for financial gain, committed by a group of individuals acting in concert.

The National Police of Ukraine reported this on November 3.

In Ternopil, a fraudster posed as a police officer and swindled more than 30,000 hryvnias from a pensioner.

Earlier in Zakarpattia, two members of a criminal group—which extorted millions of hryvnias and dollars from business owners and local residents in exchange for fictitious debts and the ability to conduct business—were sentenced to long prison terms. The co-organizer received 8 years and 6 months in prison, and one of the perpetrators received 7 years and 6 months.

Earlier in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, three young residents of the Kolomyia region were exposed; according to the investigation, they stole nearly 645,000 hryvnias from the bank accounts of 16 Ukrainians. Among the suspects is a minor, and among the victims are three military personnel.