A fraudulent call center generating millions in profits was uncovered in Lutsk
In Lutsk, law enforcement officials shut down a fraudulent call center that generated approximately $500,000 in revenue each month. The investigation is currently ongoing.
According to police, the organizer and some of his accomplices lived in Lviv and, from there, managed all operations of the fraudulent call center in Lutsk through their trusted associates. Up to 60 operators could work there at any given time.
“Call center employees would call potential victims and introduce themselves as financial analysts, brokers, or representatives of international investment companies. Citizens were promised extremely high returns from investing in cryptocurrency assets, securities, or trading on currency markets,” the statement reads.
It is noted that during these conversations, the “analysts” persuaded people to register on specially created trading web platforms and make an initial deposit. To create the appearance of successful investing, the clients’ personal accounts were artificially shown to display rapid balance growth and supposedly profitable trading transactions. Afterward, the victims were persuaded to invest increasingly larger sums. In some cases, citizens were even offered loans for this purpose.
“When clients tried to withdraw their invested or supposedly earned money, they were told they had to pay additional ‘taxes,’ ‘insurance premiums,’ or ‘transaction fees.’ After receiving another payment—or if the victim refused to pay—their account was blocked, and all communication with representatives of the ‘investment company’ ceased,” the National Police explained.
In reality, as the police note, the funds received from citizens were immediately transferred to controlled transit crypto wallets. To maintain secrecy, the suspects used internet telephony and VPN services to conceal their actual location. According to operational intelligence, the organizer of the fraudulent call center may have earned up to $500,000 in monthly profits.
Officers from the regional departments of strategic investigations, internal security, cyberpolice, criminal investigation, and the police investigative department, in collaboration with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Volyn Oblast and the Lutsk District Prosecutor’s Office, conducted searches at the call center’s premises, as well as at the suspects’ residences and locations where equipment was stored.
Law enforcement officers seized approximately $30,000, 468 cell phones, 214 SIM cards from Ukrainian and foreign carriers, over 1,000 pieces of various computer equipment, and 193 devices containing data. Also seized were network storage devices, video surveillance equipment, a Lexus vehicle, and draft scripts with prepared texts in foreign languages that operators could have used when communicating with potential victims.
The investigation is currently ongoing. Law enforcement officials are identifying all individuals involved in the operation of the fraudulent call center, as well as the circle of victims affected by its activities. The issue of placing a lien on the seized property is also being addressed. The pretrial investigation is ongoing.
This information comes from the National Police.
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