Ukraine shuts down 94 scam call centers in nationwide operation

Ukraine's Security Service and National Police uncovered 94 fraudulent call centers through a nationwide operation, with Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko reporting this on August 12. Over the course of the operation's first week alone, law enforcement conducted 411 searches and confiscated over 3,330 pieces of computer equipment, 1,346 phones, 5,238 SIM cards, 20 cryptocurrency wallets and 90 bank cards.

This resulted in the shutdown of 1,794 operator "workplaces," according to Kravchenko. Scammers recruited employees with foreign-language skills and trained them using specially prepared scripts. In many instances, operators were subjected to polygraph tests to reduce the likelihood of the schemes being exposed. Some posed as investment advisers, offering seemingly profitable opportunities, while others lured victims onto fake trading platforms.

Another group targeted people who had already lost money, pretending to offer assistance. The scammers utilized forged documents, acted as lawyers and bank employees, and employed deepfake technology to enhance the credibility of their schemes. Victims included citizens from Ukraine, EU countries, Israel, and Central Asian states, with preliminary estimates placing their combined losses at over UAH 100 million ($2.2 million).

Search operations took place in major cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhzhya, and Ivano-Frankivsk. Twenty-six individuals have been identified as suspects, and law enforcement continues to identify victims, the organizers of the schemes, and the complete network of individuals allegedly involved.