On Monday, Ukraine delivered five individuals suspected of extorting a cumulative sum exceeding 7.5 million euros (183 million crowns) from numerous Czech victims to Czech authorities. Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported this development today, citing Ukrainian law enforcement. According to their sources, the investigation into these fraudulent activities involved over 100 police officers from both Ukraine and the Czech Republic. The report from the Ukrainian outlet also suggests that at least one Czech citizen played a role in orchestrating the actions of the fraudsters. When contacted by ČTK, Ondřej Moravčík, a spokesperson for the Czech Police Presidium, stated that he lacked information regarding the case.
As detailed by the Ukrainian outlet, the scammers would contact individuals while posing as personnel from bank security departments. They would inform their targets that their bank accounts had been subjected to hacking attempts and would persuade them to transfer funds to a different account. They utilized a technique known as “spoofing,” which meant that a recognized phone number would be displayed to the call recipient, even if it was a different caller. In total, they successfully manipulated 665 people, according to a video released by the Ukrainian police and subsequently published by Ukrainska Pravda.
Ukrainian sources indicate that this fraudulent network was coordinated by both Ukrainian and Czech nationals who hired more than 20 individuals for their scheme. Another person is expected to be extradited from Ukraine at a later date. The transfer of the five detainees occurred at the Krakivets border crossing in the Lviv region in western Ukraine.
Source: ceskenoviny.cz
