Almost 17 million hryvnias were lured by fraudsters from citizens of the frontline region
Last year, the police of Donetsk region registered more than 700 facts of fraud. One of the three most popular schemes of deception is “buying a car from abroad”.
Since the beginning of a full-scale invasion, scammers, taking advantage of the situation and the difficult situation of citizens, adapt their “business” to the present and deceive people.
Most often, residents of Donetsk region lost money as a result of communication with the rail “bank employees”. The police recorded 199 such cases.
No less common are scams when buying goods via the Internet — 189 facts. Citizens transfer considerable amounts of prepayment to “sellers”, and as a result remain without an order and without funds.
Victims of criminals were often soldiers. The total amount of damage caused to the defenders reaches 9 million hryvnias.
In third place in the overall top of frauds and in the first in terms of fighters is the scheme “get a car from Europe”. Last year, 39 such facts were registered, in this case there are already 4. On various Internet sites, attackers place ads with an offer to deliver cars from abroad on favorable terms. In the future, they are asked to transfer funds for fuel, customs clearance, fines and other “services”. Luring money under fictitious pretexts continues as long as the victim believes the scammer. Sometimes the amount of transferred funds is up to 300,000 hryvnias.
In order to save your savings, the police urge to follow the rules of payment security:
- do not transfer prepayment for goods you buy online - give preference to cash on delivery;
- Do not enter payment card details on online platforms and do not disclose your confidential data to anyone;
- in case of purchase of a valuable product, payment is made only at a personal meeting with the seller and after checking the goods for suitability for use.
If you are affected by fraud — contact the police!
National Police of Ukraine
