Ukrainian and Czech law enforcement officers have exposed and served suspicion notices to two participants in a fraud scheme that deceived foreign citizens, including losses of around 1.6 million UAH suffered by citizens of the Czech Republic. This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine.
Kyiv cyber police, together with investigators from the Main Investigative Department of the National Police under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General and in cooperation with Czech law enforcement agencies, as part of a joint international investigative team (JIT), uncovered a group that defrauded foreigners under the pretext of investing through an online platform. Some of the suspects operated from the territory of Ukraine.
According to investigators, the perpetrators organized a call center in Türkiye. Its operators posed as employees of an investment platform and used social engineering techniques to convince victims to invest money, promising profits from trading financial instruments.
To deceive victims, the suspects used a specially created website imitating an investment platform and persuaded them to install remote access software. This allowed them to gain access to victims’ computers, online banking systems, and cryptocurrency wallets.
The funds were then transferred to controlled accounts, after which accomplices located in Ukraine converted them into cryptocurrency and distributed them through a network of crypto wallets. Cyber police identified those involved, tracked digital asset flows, obtained data on the use of remote access software, and processed information provided by Czech law enforcement agencies as part of international cooperation.
With support from the TacTeam special unit of the Patrol Police Department, Ukrainian and Czech officers conducted 12 authorized searches in Kyiv, Kyiv region, and Lviv at the suspects’ residences and vehicles.
Seized items included computer equipment, mobile phones, tablets, digital storage devices, hardware crypto wallets, bank documents, draft notes, over 250,000 UAH and 25,000 USD in cash, as well as five premium and business-class vehicles. The identified losses suffered by Czech citizens amount to approximately 1.6 million UAH.
Additionally, according to Czech authorities, more than $140,000 was transferred to the suspects’ controlled crypto wallets. Investigators are currently determining the origin of these assets. Two suspects have been formally charged. The organizer is accused of aiding large-scale fraud and money laundering, while the other suspect is charged with money laundering.
The organizer has been placed in custody, while his accomplice was released on bail. They face up to 12 years in prison.
