Six Odessa residents gave their smartphones to a fake master from OLX

A man was tried in Odessa who, under the guise of a phone repairman, committed a series of fraudulent acts, taking possession of six other people's smartphones, and also illegally carried a cold weapon. For a total of criminal offenses, he received 2 years of restriction of liberty with a probationary period of 1 year and 6 months.

The journalist 048.ua learned about this from the verdict of the Primorsky District Court.

Circumstances of the case

A native of Kherson, who actually lives in Odessa, created a fake profile on the popular classifieds site OLX in October 2024. Under the guise of a mobile phone repairman, he posted ads for services. The attacker's real goal was to seize equipment that gullible customers handed over for repair.

The court found that over the course of several days, the man, acting according to the scheme, deceived six victims who met with the «master» in various places in Odessa. The fraudster took away mobile phones worth from 5,000 to 5,800 hryvnias, assuring that he would repair them within a certain period. However, he did not return the phones to the owners, but kept them for himself and disposed of the property at his own discretion.

Episodes:

• On October 10, 2024, the attacker defrauded the first victim, the owner of a Samsung Galaxy A5 phone (5000 UAH);
• On October 13, 2024, he took possession of a Samsung Galaxy M14 phone (5200 UAH);
• October 14, 2024 – Xiaomi Redmi 14c (5200 UAH);
• October 15, 2024 – Samsung Galaxy A5 (5800 UAH);
• October 17, 2024 – Meizu U20 (5000 UAH);
• October 19, 2024 – Redmi Note 8 PRO (5200 UAH).

The total amount of damage caused to the victim amounted to more than 31,000 UAH.

Illegal carrying of cold weapons

In addition to fraud, the accused was charged with another crime. During a superficial check on October 11, 2024 in Odessa, a man was found to have a telescopic baton – a cold weapon with impact and crushing action. It turned out that the weapon was homemade and was carried without a permit provided for by law. The man explained to law enforcement officers that he had found the baton.

Confession and verdict

In court, the accused fully admitted his guilt, confirming the facts set forth in the indictment. The victims did not appear in court, but expressed in writing their desire for the case to be considered without their participation.

The court took into account the mitigating circumstances: admission of guilt and cooperation with the investigation. As a result, the accused was found guilty of committing crimes under Part 1 and Part 2 of Article 190 (fraud) and Part 2 of Article 263 (illegal carrying of cold weapons) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

For the totality of criminal offenses, the fraudster received 2 years of restriction of liberty with a probationary period of 1 year and 6 months.