Ukrainian cyber police expose fraudsters who robbed users of UAH 160 million via phishing sites

Specialists of the Ukrainian cyber police exposed an international criminal group whose members robbed users of UAH 160 million through phishing sites.

According to the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, fraudsters have created more than 100 phishing sites targeting European users. The websites offered customers various goods at below-market prices. The bank card details that customers entered on phishing sites to pay for their orders were automatically disclosed to the criminals. Later, they appropriated money from their accounts.

Two call centers with offices in Vinnytsia and Lviv also worked for the criminals. Operators called users and encouraged them to make purchases on the fraudulent website.

«We have identified over 1000 victims, including citizens of the Czech Republic, Poland, France, Spain, Portugal and other European countries. The total amount of losses is more than UAH 160 million,» said cyber police representatives.

According to preliminary data, the attackers may face up to twelve years in prison with confiscation of property. Two of the organizers have already been notified of suspicion and custody has been chosen as a measure of restraint. Another 10 members of the criminal group were also detained in the European Union.

Last week, the cyber police of Ukraine managed to detect and eliminate a hostile bot farm that was spreading fake news on social media. Fake posts and comments on social media were published allegedly from ordinary Ukrainian citizens. The bot farm had at least 2,000 fake accounts. For each bot created, the offender received payment in rubles.