Internet fraudster withdrew over 100 thousand hryvnias from a man's bank account

During the martial law in our country, there has been a sharp increase in criminal offenses related to fraudulent actions against citizens, especially through illegal operations using electronic computing equipment.

Cybercrime involves the use of computers, computer networks or network devices, and criminals use the anonymity and convenience of modern technologies to commit their crimes in order to obtain financial gain. benefits.

During 2024, under the procedural guidance of the Chernivtsi District Prosecutor's Office, the investigative department of the Chernivtsi District Police Department of the Main Department of the National Police of the Chernivtsi region investigated 1,323 criminal proceedings on the facts of fraudulent appropriation of citizens' funds in the field of cybersecurity, with 439 criminal proceedings of this category registered in 2024.

For example, upon public accusation by prosecutors of the Chernivtsi District Prosecutor's Office, a 20-year-old man was sentenced to 5 years in prison for committing criminal offenses provided for in  Part 4 of Article 185, Part 1 of Article 361, Part 2 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Thus, during the pre-trial investigation, it was established that in August 2023, the accused found and appropriated the victim's mobile phone, and later, using the specified mobile phone, scanning the QR code in ATMs of JSC «PrivatBank» at various addresses in Chernivtsi, he illegally accessed the victim's bank account and made 29 cash withdrawal transactions of the victim in the amount of UAH 109,000. The total amount of losses is UAH 113,133, which was fully compensated to the victim during the pre-trial investigation.

In order not to suffer from cyber fraud, carefully check the information that unknown persons provide you, especially if they call you and say: «Your relatives got into a road accident – a traffic accident, or to the hospital, or detained by police officers».

Do not follow dubious and unverified links that have recently been very often received in the Telegram messenger. For example, vote for a child, pay a fine, send money to an account, etc., as this may be an insidious scheme of fraudsters.

Also, be careful not to share your confidential information – do not give it to third parties! A fairly common scheme of fraudsters is when they call you under the guise of «bank employees, bank security»  and try to gain your trust in order to take possession of your personal and confidential information. Under no circumstances should you disclose your bank card details to anyone, especially the code (3 digits) on the back of the card.

We urge you to be careful and not lose your vigilance when communicating with strangers so as not to become a victim of fraudsters!»