The SSU Military Counterintelligence, together with the National Police, has shut down another scheme of extorting money from the families of Ukrainian defenders.

As a result of an operation in Kharkiv, the SSU uncovered a local resident who tried to defraud a wife of a fallen Ukrainian serviceman of USD 10,000.

The perpetrator used the fact that the serviceman had been killed in the so-called grey zone, and his body had not yet been handed over to his relatives.

On learning this, the fraudster began to pose as an SSU officer to convince the woman that her husband was supposedly held captive by the russian occupiers.

For money, he promised assistance in ‘returning’ the spouse home.

The conman ‘guaranteed’ that the soldier’s name would be put on the list as a ‘priority’ person to be exchanged for russian PoWs.

The SSU documented the crime and detained the suspect when he received the money from the victim.

During the search, the SSU seized a mobile phone with evidence of the unlawful activity.

The detainee was served a notice of suspicion under Article 190.4 of the CCU (fraud). The court is to decide on custody as a measure of restraint.

The investigation is underway. The suspect faces up to 8 years in prison.

The operation was carried out under the procedural supervision of Nemyshlyansky District Prosecutor’s Office of Kharkiv.