“Virtual Lovers” Swindled 256,000 UAH from Three Women

Law enforcement officers register reports of fraud over the Internet almost every day. People become victims of scammers who, on behalf of bank and financial employees, pseudo-police officers, or when buying and selling goods online, rob them.

To all these machinations, there is also “virtual love”. In 2024, investigators in the Ternopil region opened 3 criminal cases on the facts of “romantic” frauds, as a result of which the victims lost 256 thousand  hryvnia.

The scammer-turned-spouse is either a military man who is in a “hot spot” and his contract is about to expire, or a widower with his own business, or a doctor. They are all looking for a Ukrainian turnip.

The head of the psychological support department of the personnel management department of the Main Police Department in the Ternopil region, Mykhailo Kozyuk, claims that scammers – excellent manipulators who know female psychology very well – quickly identify weak points and put pressure on them in further communication.

After several letters and telephone conversations, the victim's common sense is fast asleep. The charmed woman begins to do everything the con artist asks.

“There are countless ways to deceive your interlocutor. The con artist, posing as a «foreign businessman», tells the woman that he wants to come to Ukraine, but at the moment all the money is in the bag and asks to borrow it, – says the head of the cybercrime prevention department in the Ternopil region of the State Police of the National Police of Ukraine, Maksym Servatniuk. – Sometimes a fraudster who works under the legend «serves in Syria» says that he was wounded in battle and needs funds for a joint operation. Another option – a gift for the chosen one or the need to send a parcel with valuables and a large sum of money to Ukraine. The woman only needs to pay for delivery, customs duties, and expenses for the courier and the preparation of other documents.

Police say that such scams are not new. In fact, fraudsters operate on the territory of Ukraine, and there is no soldier, doctor, or banker from the USA, Syria, or other EU countries.