Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have uncovered an organized criminal group that defrauded dozens of citizens by posing as representatives of well-known charities and international aid organizations offering financial assistance. The total damage has already exceeded UAH 1 million, and the victims include members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to investigators, the suspects impersonated representatives of the Olena Zelenska Foundation, the UNITED24 platform, the Come Back Alive charitable foundation, the Ukrainian Red Cross, and UNICEF. To find potential victims, they actively used TikTok and other online platforms, where they hosted live streams and spread false information about allegedly available financial aid.
The investigation found that the organizers coordinated the activities of the group, assigned roles to participants, launched social media campaigns, controlled financial flows, and maintained a network of phishing websites that closely copied the official websites of well-known charitable organizations.
During TikTok live streams, the fraudsters convinced users that they could help them apply for financial assistance. To gain trust, they displayed forged documents, fake payment confirmations, and other fabricated materials, creating the illusion of official cooperation with charitable organizations.
Once a victim expressed interest in receiving aid, they were redirected to phishing websites where they were asked to enter their banking details, card numbers, CVV codes, one-time SMS verification codes, and other confidential information. In some cases, the criminals persuaded victims to make a so-called “test payment” to an account under their control, claiming it was necessary to verify the bank card before the aid could be transferred. In reality, the money was immediately stolen.
After completing each fraudulent campaign, the group deleted videos, conversations, and fake accounts, blocked victims, and attempted to erase all traces of their activities.
Officers of the Cyber Police Department, together with investigators from the Kyiv Region Police under the procedural supervision of the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, conducted a large-scale operation to document the criminal activities. With the support of the TacTeam special unit of the Patrol Police Department, officers carried out 21 court-authorized searches in the Zhytomyr region at the suspects’ residences and in their vehicles.
During the searches, law enforcement officers seized computer equipment, around twenty mobile phones, digital storage devices, more than 50 bank cards, over 120 SIM cards and SIM slots, cash, handwritten records, and eight vehicles. The collected evidence allowed investigators to reconstruct the entire fraud scheme and identify the role of each participant.
Criminal proceedings have been opened under Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Fraud), which carries a maximum penalty of up to eight years in prison.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing, and authorities continue to identify additional victims, noting that the total number of those affected may be significantly higher than currently documented.
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