SBU operatives uncovered a number of knavish call centers in Kyiv city. Every month, fraudsters stole up to USD 100,000 from Ukrainian and foreign bank accounts.

Allegedly, illegal network was organised by a national of South Caucasus and former law enforcement officer from Kyiv city. They rented five offices and a flat in downtown. 300 people, in particular students and unemployed individuals, were involved in illegal scheme. Representing themselves as bank consultants, they asked to provide personal data and passwords from bankcards of citizens. Then the clients’ funds were transferred to dummy bank accounts.

Today, the law enforcement officers carried out 10 searches in offices of illegal call centers, offenders’ residences in Kyiv and Dnipro cities.  SBU operatives seized high-tech equipment and software which they used in order to pretend bank employees; special equipment and malware for hacking Internet networks, client databases, and more than 300 computers.

The issue of serving notices of suspicion to the masterminds and people involved in fraud and illegal actions in respect of remittance documents, payment cards and other means providing access to bank accounts, and equipment for their production is now being settled.

The investigation is under way. The SBU sent the seized equipment for examination to identify all victims and to account the full sum of losses.

The operation was conducted under the legal supervision of the Prosecutor's Office in Kyiv city.