Under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Office of the Attorney General, participants of a criminal organization have been exposed and notified of suspicion, which, under the guise of providing "legal assistance," embezzled funds from foreign citizens.

According to the investigation, the organization operated in Ukraine and specialized in fraudulent schemes involving so-called "chargebacks" — allegedly returning investments after interactions with fake online brokers. They called residents of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and EU countries, posing as lawyers and promising assistance in recovering money.

Using social engineering methods, they sent fake documents, called on behalf of "judicial" or "tax" authorities, employed deepfake technology to mask faces, and forced victims to pay "commissions," "court fees," or "taxes." In many cases, people were convinced to take out loans or sell property to make another "payment."

Thus, according to preliminary data, more than 4,500 citizens have been affected, and the total amount of damages exceeds 186 million UAH.

The organization had a clear hierarchy: from investors and coordinators to team leaders who trained agents, and executors who directly contacted the victims. The illegally obtained profits were invested by participants in elite real estate in Kyiv, land in the suburbs, and premium-class cars.

During the searches, computer equipment, instructions, backups of the CRM system, correspondence in messengers, and data on cryptocurrency wallets were seized, which allowed for the establishment of the roles of all participants.

Nine individuals have been detained under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, and they have been notified of suspicion for creating and participating in a criminal organization (Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and fraud (Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The issue of choosing preventive measures for them is being resolved.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Attorney General by employees of the Main Investigation Department and the Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine, in cooperation with the competent authorities of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent of committing a crime until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.