The perpetrator, a 26-year-old man from Lviv, was exposed by operatives of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Lviv Oblast Police and investigators of the Lviv District Police Department No. 1, under the procedural guidance of the Galicia District Prosecutor’s Office.
As the law enforcement officers established, the attacker created an ad for the sale of a Renault Traffic car, which he did not actually have, and placed it on one of the popular sales sites on the Internet. Soon, a 44-year-old woman from Lviv approached him, who intended to purchase the indicated car and transferred money in the amount of almost 20,000 as a deposit to the account specified by the “seller”. The attacker used these funds at his own discretion. When the victim realized that she would not receive the car, she turned to the police for help.
Investigators of the Lviv District Police Department No. 1 completed the pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings opened under Part 1 of Article 190 (Fraud) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The law enforcement officers referred the indictment to the court. The maximum penalty for the accused is imprisonment for a term of up to three years.
Law enforcement officers warn – when buying goods on various platforms on the Internet, be vigilant and make sure that you are communicating with a person who really has the goods you need. In addition:
do not confirm the transfer of funds if you have the slightest doubt that they will reach the addressee or that the addressee is the person to whom you intend to send money. Check again and only then make the transfer.
don’t pay obscure “down payments”, “deposits” for something that was just offered to you at an unusually low price by strangers. It can also be a trap for fraudsters.
of course, never give details of your bank card, passport and other documents that contain confidential information to strangers.
in the event that you have become a victim of a fraudster, immediately report this to the police, as well as to the banking institution with a request to block transactions with your card.
Communications Department of the Lviv Oblast Police