In Odesa, fraudsters lured money with fake cars for the Armed Forces of Ukraine

In Odesa, a court seized the property of members of a group that profited from the sale of non-existent cars for the Armed Forces. The fraudsters were hiding behind the names of charitable foundations to lure money from the military and volunteers.

This is stated in the ruling of the Kyiv District Court of Odesa.

The judge seized property seized during searches of the suspects, who are accused of a large-scale fraudulent scheme to sell cars to the Armed Forces. The decision was made in the framework of criminal proceedings under articles on fraud committed by an organized group on a large scale.

According to the investigation, the two men organized a criminal group that had been operating since the beginning of the full-scale war. They assembled a team that worked like a real enterprise: some created fake social media accounts, others posed as volunteers, customs brokers or drivers. The scheme was perfected - ads for the sale of cars from Europe for the army appeared online, and fake documents and photos were sent to gullible buyers.

After that, the military, volunteers, and relatives of the soldiers were asked to transfer money for various services: allegedly for logistics, insurance, customs clearance, or a "green card." When the money was transferred to controlled accounts, it was immediately withdrawn in cash. The victims never received the cars. Investigators emphasize that this criminal activity was the main source of income for the group.

To make themselves look more convincing, the fraudsters did not just create fictitious pages - they even stole the personal data of real people. In particular, one of the scheme participants found information on the Internet about a military chaplain from the religious community of the Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith "Good Samaritan" in the village of Zoziv, Rivne district. Using his name and data, the scammers created a fake profile and communicated with the military and volunteers on his behalf. In addition, they hid behind the names of charitable foundations. The court document mentions "Choven" and "Faith and Deeds".

During the searches, law enforcement officers seized phones, bank cards, documents and other items that could confirm involvement in the fraud. The court seized the property to preserve evidence and prevent its sale or destruction.

The case is being investigated under Part 5 and Part 2 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud committed by an organized group on a large scale). If proven guilty, the suspects face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Recently, five members of a fraudulent group that extorted money by promising to bring cars from Europe for the Armed Forces of Ukraine were detained in Odesa region. Law enforcement officers found that the victims were residents of 14 regions of Ukraine.

Анна Бальчінос