12 members of an organized criminal group, including two Ukrainians, were detained on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. About 400 employees worked in fraudulent call centers. According to the developed fraudulent scheme, which has been operating since 2021, scammers through ads on the Internet offered victims, mainly Romanian citizens, to make investments with the promise of safe and fast earnings. According to the Moldovan criminal law, the detainees face a penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment.
Within the framework of international cooperation, operatives of the Strategic Investigations Department, investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police, under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office, in cooperation with Europol, Eurojust and law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova and Romania, eliminated the activities of a criminal group whose members "specialized" in luring money from gullible citizens using call centers.
The organization of a large-scale international fraud scheme involved citizens of Ukraine, who, together with representatives of other states, provided the operation of four call centers in several cities of the Republic of Moldova, with a staff of about 400 people.
The attackers acted according to the following scheme: businessmen created ads on Internet sites, where they offered citizens the opportunity to make safe, fast, and most importantly high earnings after making small investments. Celebrities depicted in advertisements or official logos of large local banks aroused the trust of potential victims, which allowed the defendants to deceive a large number of people. The ad contained a link to a website, after switching to which potential "customers" were offered to quickly earn income. In the registration form, "investors" specified their personal data, and then directly on the specified site created their own account for investing in non-existent financial products.
Credulous citizens were expected to receive super-profits immediately after "investing" in the amount of $ 250 or euros in shares or virtual currencies that they made through online trading platforms. Using the software interface, the dealers simulated additional accruals and profit growth hundreds of times. Under the guise of financial consultants, experts, or insurance brokers, potential victims were also contacted by call center employees who assured them of the reliability of the advertising "scheme".
The next step was for the scammers to install mobile applications on their phones, which allowed the members of the criminal group to access the victims bank accounts and transfer money from them. In the same way, fraudsters operated with victims ' accounts opened on virtual currency platforms.
If the victims refused to continue investing, the attackers resorted to various threats. Call center operators between the ages of 20 and 45 underwent a multi-stage, thorough selection process that included even a polygraph test. A perfect command of foreign languages was also a prerequisite for accepting a "job".
Several members of the organized group acted as supervisors, team leaders, and administrators who carefully monitored the work of call center operators.
On August 7, law enforcement officers of Ukraine, Moldova and Romania simultaneously conducted a special operation to eliminate a fraudulent scheme, several of the organizers of which were Ukrainians. In total, 12 members of an organized criminal group, including two citizens of Ukraine, were detained on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.
So, on the territory of several countries, about 70 searches took place in the premises of call centers and office buildings, as well as in the places of residence and in the cars of the defendants-9 of them in Ukraine.
As a result of the actions, the police seized more than 100 computers, system blocks, dozens of phones, bank cards, firearms, 10 cars, as well as about $ 35,000. In Kiev, Ukrainian law enforcement officers seized computer equipment, communications equipment, as well as more than UAH 2.4 million in hryvnia equivalent.
Currently, in Romania, the "scheme" is being investigated in 120 criminal proceedings based on 150 statements of deceived persons. It is established that according to a fraudulent scheme, the attackers deceived the victims for 1,200,000 euros.
The collection of evidence continues to establish the full circle of persons involved in the crime and bring them to criminal responsibility. According to the legislation of the Republic of Moldova, the detained defendants face from 8 to 15 years behind bars.
The investigation continues.
• Video:
Within the framework of international cooperation, operatives of the Strategic Investigations Department, investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police, under the procedural guidance of the Prosecutor General's Office, in cooperation with Europol, Eurojust and law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova and Romania, eliminated the activities of a criminal group whose members "specialized" in luring money from gullible citizens using call centers.
The organization of a large-scale international fraud scheme involved citizens of Ukraine, who, together with representatives of other states, provided the operation of four call centers in several cities of the Republic of Moldova, with a staff of about 400 people.
The attackers acted according to the following scheme: businessmen created ads on Internet sites, where they offered citizens the opportunity to make safe, fast, and most importantly high earnings after making small investments. Celebrities depicted in advertisements or official logos of large local banks aroused the trust of potential victims, which allowed the defendants to deceive a large number of people. The ad contained a link to a website, after switching to which potential "customers" were offered to quickly earn income. In the registration form, "investors" specified their personal data, and then directly on the specified site created their own account for investing in non-existent financial products.
Credulous citizens were expected to receive super-profits immediately after "investing" in the amount of $ 250 or euros in shares or virtual currencies that they made through online trading platforms. Using the software interface, the dealers simulated additional accruals and profit growth hundreds of times. Under the guise of financial consultants, experts, or insurance brokers, potential victims were also contacted by call center employees who assured them of the reliability of the advertising "scheme".
The next step was for the scammers to install mobile applications on their phones, which allowed the members of the criminal group to access the victims bank accounts and transfer money from them. In the same way, fraudsters operated with victims ' accounts opened on virtual currency platforms.
If the victims refused to continue investing, the attackers resorted to various threats. Call center operators between the ages of 20 and 45 underwent a multi-stage, thorough selection process that included even a polygraph test. A perfect command of foreign languages was also a prerequisite for accepting a "job".
Several members of the organized group acted as supervisors, team leaders, and administrators who carefully monitored the work of call center operators.
On August 7, law enforcement officers of Ukraine, Moldova and Romania simultaneously conducted a special operation to eliminate a fraudulent scheme, several of the organizers of which were Ukrainians. In total, 12 members of an organized criminal group, including two citizens of Ukraine, were detained on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.
So, on the territory of several countries, about 70 searches took place in the premises of call centers and office buildings, as well as in the places of residence and in the cars of the defendants-9 of them in Ukraine.
As a result of the actions, the police seized more than 100 computers, system blocks, dozens of phones, bank cards, firearms, 10 cars, as well as about $ 35,000. In Kiev, Ukrainian law enforcement officers seized computer equipment, communications equipment, as well as more than UAH 2.4 million in hryvnia equivalent.
Currently, in Romania, the "scheme" is being investigated in 120 criminal proceedings based on 150 statements of deceived persons. It is established that according to a fraudulent scheme, the attackers deceived the victims for 1,200,000 euros.
The collection of evidence continues to establish the full circle of persons involved in the crime and bring them to criminal responsibility. According to the legislation of the Republic of Moldova, the detained defendants face from 8 to 15 years behind bars.
The investigation continues.
• Video:
