The SSU has dismantled a fraud scheme in Dnipropetrovsk region. Under the guise of collecting charity for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, offenders stole money from local residents.

To conceal their criminal actions, the fraudsters claimed that the ‘project’ had been organized by the leadership of the military-civilian administration of Kryvyi Rih.

The impostor created a fake Telegram account of the head of the city military-civilian administration, through which he spun messages about the fake fundraising.

In this way, the offender tried to deceive Ukrainians and steal hundreds of thousands of hryvnias on behalf of the official.

The investigation established that the unlawful activity was organized by a native of Kherson region, who arrived in Dnipropetrovsk oblast at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. There, he decided to ‘implement’ his scam.

To do this, he verified the fake account of the administration head and filled it with data from the official’s real Telegram channel.

Using the fake account, in late September, the fraudster posted information about opening a bank account and raising funds supposedly for the needs of Territorial Defence units.

However, thanks to the SSU’s response, the perpetrator was not able to ‘fully implement’ his intentions.

During the searches at the suspect’s home, the law enforcement found a mobile phone and a bank card with evidence of the crime.

The offender was notified of suspicion under Article 190.3 of the CCU (fraud).

The SSU Office in Dnipropetrovsk Region carried out the operation jointly with the National Police under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office.