Authorities in Odessa have dismantled a call center that defrauded more than 1,500 foreign clients, promising fast and substantial returns through a fake investment platform.
According to the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office, a native of Dnipropetrovsk region organized the operation on Henuesska Street in Odessa with several accomplices. Scammers posing as employees of the platform Skylex LTD contacted potential victims and promised “quick, transparent, and significant earnings.”
Victims were instructed to register via Telegram links that led to a website connected to a crypto wallet. Once funds were transferred, their accounts appeared to show balances equal to the deposited amounts. After this, the fraudsters cut off all contact.
So far, five citizens of Kazakhstan and two Ukrainians have been officially recognized as victims. The total damage is estimated at over $92,000.
Nine individuals have been charged in connection with the scheme, including the organizer, two co-organizers, and six accomplices. All face accusations of fraud on a particularly large scale under Part 5, Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The operation to expose the investment fraudsters was carried out with the participation of the Cyber Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Main Investigative Department of the National Police in Odesa region, and under the operational support of the Economic Protection Department of the National Police of Ukraine in Odesa region.
