Prosecutors from the Lviv Regional and Halytskyi District Prosecutor’s Offices have submitted an indictment to the court against four individuals accused of organizing a criminal group that defrauded bank customers out of more than 824,000 UAH. A total of 19 people fell victim to the scheme.
According to the investigation, a 31-year-old resident of Khmelnytskyi region devised a fraudulent plan in June of last year targeting clients of “PrivatBank.” The group included:
- Two women from Kamianka-Buzka, aged 32 and 29 – regular participants;
- A 23-year-old Lviv resident – occasionally involved.
All acted according to a script that mimicked a real bank security procedure. The scheme worked as follows:
- The victim received a call from someone posing as a bank security officer, reporting suspicious account activity.
- The call was then “transferred” to the so-called “head of the security service,” played by the group’s organizer.
- The victim was persuaded to transfer money to allegedly “safe” accounts, after which a fake “financial department employee” joined the conversation to finalize the scam.
Tricked into believing their money was at risk, victims transferred funds to accounts controlled by the group. The money was then divided among the members. Some was spent on personal needs such as online gambling, and some used to purchase tools and equipment to continue their illegal activity.
To remain undetected, the suspects:
- Frequently changed SIM cards and phones;
- Stayed in rented apartments in Lviv for no more than 10 days;
- Used multiple bank accounts across different institutions.
The investigation documented 19 fraud cases.
Legal Qualifications:
- Organizer: Fraud, organizing fraud, unauthorized access to automated systems (Part 4 Art. 190, Part 3 Art. 27 – Part 5 Art. 190, Part 2 Art. 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
- Two female perpetrators: Fraud, unauthorized access to automated systems (Part 4, 5 Art. 190, Part 2 Art. 361).
- One male participant: Fraud (Part 4 Art. 190).
The pre-trial investigation was conducted by the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Lviv region, with support from the Cybercrime Counteraction Department.
🛑 Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court ruling.