A rare case of financial fraud driven by personal attachment has emerged in Irpin, involving the embezzlement of millions from bank accounts. The suspect is a 38-year-old bank employee and single mother of a three-year-old daughter.
In 2024, she met a younger man with a criminal record. Their relationship quickly took a romantic turn, although they met in person only once. Despite the limited contact, he managed to persuade her to use her professional position to transfer large sums of money from bank clients’ accounts directly to him.
Over nearly two years, the woman regularly diverted funds, often using falsified documents to do so. Examples include:
- ₴300,000 withdrawn from client deposits in a single operation.
- ₴100,000 handed over in cash based on fake documentation, transferred via the man’s acquaintance.
- The largest transaction — ₴1,748,000 — was made shortly after a client deposited the amount to buy real estate. Instead of securing the money, she transferred it to an account provided by the man.
The fraud came to light when the client returned to retrieve his deposit. The employee tried to cover her tracks by issuing a fake payment order and attempted to balance the loss using other accounts. Ultimately, she confessed everything to the investigators.
The victim also filed a police report. An indictment has now been sent to court. The bank employee is charged with document forgery, fraudulent use of banking records, and misappropriation of funds in especially large amounts during martial law. She faces up to 12 years in prison and confiscation of property.