In Chernivtsi, a fraudulent criminal organization that lured more than half a million hryvnias from pensioners will appear before the court
During the pre-trial investigation, the investigators of the GUNP in the Chernivtsi region established six participants of the criminal organization, its leader and the scheme of illegal activities.
In May of this year, criminal investigation agents of the Bukovina police exposed an interregional fraudulent call center, the victims of which were three residents of Chernivtsi. Convincing the women that their relatives got into an accident and needed significant funds, the criminals seized them for almost 550 thousand hryvnias.
The police found out that for the sake of illegal enrichment with other people's money, a 26-year-old resident of Odessa region created a criminal organization. The man has previously been repeatedly convicted of property crimes. After being released from prison, the abuser continued his illegal activities.
In particular, the man developed a mechanism for seizing other people's funds, led an established criminal organization, coordinated the actions of his accomplices, directly participated in the commission of crimes and distributed illegally received money. The age of the members of the criminal group is from 16 to 37 years.
To search for potential victims, attackers have set up a so-called “call center” in Odessa. Members of the criminal organization called landline numbers in different regions of Ukraine and formed a database of persons who could be misled.
Usually offenders reported that a relative had committed an accident and needed substantial financial assistance for treatment or to avoid responsibility for the injury of others. If the victims believed unknown interlocutors, they sent their accomplices to them for money.
It was according to this scheme that fraudsters found three residents of Chernivtsi, aged 72-85 years. Trusting strangers, the pensioners allegedly handed over to save their relatives almost 14 thousand US dollars, 1800 euros and 50 thousand hryvnias, which is equivalent to almost 550 thousand hryvnias.
The detectives of the criminal search with the strong support of the special unit “CORD” of the GUNP in the Chernivtsi region detained the perpetrators of the crime. Together with Odesa police operatives, the Bukovyna police established the location of the fraudulent call center and stopped its activities. Law enforcement officers seized evidence of involvement in fraudulent actions from the attackers.
According to the results of the pre-trial investigation, the employees of the Investigative Department of the GUNP in the Chernivtsi region drew up indictments and sent them to court. Participants of a criminal organization are charged with committing crimes provided for in article 255 (Creation, leadership of a criminal community or criminal organization, and participation in it), parts 4 of article 28 (Committing a criminal offense by a group of persons, a group of persons by a previous conspiracy, organized group or crime by a fraudulent organization) and 190 (Fraud) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. For such illegal actions, participants of a criminal organization face up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.
Operational support in criminal proceedings was carried out by police officers of the Criminal Investigation Department of the GUNP, the procedural leadership — Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office.
National Police of Ukraine
