[td]Kharkiv fraudulent call center: four more suspects charged. Photo: Cyber Police of Ukraine[/td]
Four more members of a criminal organization in Kharkiv that defrauded Latvian citizens of over 5.5 million hryvnias have been charged. They face up to 15 years in prison and property confiscation,
the press service of the Cyber Police of Ukraine reported.
According to investigators, the group members operated a call center in Kharkiv and specifically purchased contacts of foreigners who had already fallen victim to pseudo-investment scams on the darknet. Posing as employees of a law firm, the operators called Latvian citizens and promised to return the lost funds. They thus convinced the victims to install remote access software, gained access to their banking accounts, took out online loans, and emptied their accounts.
[td]Kharkiv fraudulent call center: four more suspects charged. Photo: Cyber Police of Ukraine[/td]
In May 2026, Kharkiv region cyber police, together with investigators from the Main Investigation Department and operatives from the State Criminal Investigation and Security Service of Ukraine (GKIB) of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast, with the assistance of the National Police Department for International Police Cooperation, and in collaboration with Latvian law enforcement agencies, issued notices of suspicion and detained two key members of the organization and three others.
Law enforcement officers then conducted a series of searches throughout Kharkiv and the region, dismantling the illegal call center and seizing computer equipment, vehicles, and other evidence.
[td]Kharkiv fraudulent call center: four more suspects charged. Photo: Cyber Police of Ukraine[/td]
Thanks to the evidence obtained during the investigation, police reconstructed the full cycle of the fraudulent scheme and the structure of the call center: members of the criminal organization specifically purchased contacts of people who had already lost money to pseudo-investment platforms, fake brokers, or cryptocurrencies on the darknet and in closed online communities.
Call center operators in Kharkiv called foreigners, pretending to be employees of law firms, and promised to help them recover their lost funds. To gain their trust and create the illusion of security, the criminals took an unconventional approach: they emphasized cash on delivery and pointedly refused advance payments.
[td]Kharkiv fraudulent call center: four more suspects charged. Photo: Cyber Police of Ukraine[/td]
Subsequently, the individuals convinced them to install software for remote access to the victims' devices to undergo "verification." This allowed the perpetrators to gain control over the foreigners' devices and access their online banking. Loans were then issued in the victims' names. The proceeds were transferred to controlled accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, and the financial flows were then dispersed using various tools for covert purposes.
In some cases, victims were persuaded to change their pension payment method, open new accounts, transfer funds between banks, or engage so-called trusted individuals, ostensibly to speed up the receipt of compensation or confirm their solvency.
[td]Kharkiv fraudulent call center: four more suspects charged. Photo: Cyber Police of Ukraine[/td]
During the second phase of the international operation, police investigators filed charges under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, namely, participation in a criminal organization (Parts 1 and 2 of Article 255), unauthorized interference with information systems (Part 5 of Article 361), and fraud committed in a special manner (Part 5 of Article 190). Four more members of the group, including a 24-year-old HR worker at the fraudulent call center, were charged. She organized polygraph testing for candidates.
The suspects also include the operators who made the initial cold calls to potential victims, as well as the employee responsible for the technical aspects of the operation. It was established that at least nine individuals, aged 17 to 47, were involved in the illegal activity.
One of the suspects has already been remanded in custody on alternative bail of almost 5 million hryvnias. The materials for the selection of measures for the other suspects have been submitted to the court. The penalties under the incriminated articles include up to 15 years' imprisonment and confiscation of property.
The total documented damages exceed 116,000 euros, or over 5.5 million hryvnias.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing under the procedural direction of the Prosecutor General's Office.
