International cooperation between Latvian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian authorities, coordinated by Eurojust, resulted in the takedown of a fraudulent call centre operating across three offices. The call centre was set up to defraud funds from citizens across Europe. Initial investigations identified victims in Latvia and Lithuania who lost over EUR 160 000, but it is expected that more victims fell for the fake investment platform.
The call centre was set up in Dnipro and used a well-established scheme. The criminal group lured their victims in with a fake investment scheme for cryptocurrency where they promised large profits. To defraud their victims even more, the criminal group would ask for funds for legal support to return lost assets. The call centre employees were able to gain access to their victims’ funds using remote access software and then succeeded to transfer money into the criminal group’s bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets.
After at least nine victims came forward in Latvia and Lithuania, a joint investigation team was set up at Eurojust for Latvian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian authorities to work together. When authorities met in the Agency’s premise in The Hague, they exchanged information and evidence on the criminal group’s activities and planned an action day in Ukraine to take the group down. Through financial support, Eurojust made it possible for authorities from Latvia and Lithuania join the action day in Ukraine, working together side by side to arrest the criminal group and seize important evidence.
On 17 February, the action day took place in Ukraine. The coordinated operation led to the arrest of 11 members of the criminal group, of which ten were ordered to be in pre-trial detention and one suspect was put under house arrest. During searches in 32 locations, authorities seized electronic equipment, documents, computers and sim cards. The action day also led to the seizure of EUR 400 000 in cash, two crypto currency wallets and eight luxury cars. Investigations into the group will now continue as the seized electronic evidence is being analysed.
The actions were carried out by the following authorities:
- Latvia: Rīga Judicial Region Prosecution Office; Cybercrime Enforcement Department of the Central Criminal Police Department of the State Police of Latvia
- Lithuania: Klaipeda Regional Prosecutor’s Office; Klaipeda County Police Headquarters
- Ukraine: Dnipropetrovsk region Prosecutor’s Office; Main Department of the National Police in Dnipropetrovsk region; Division of the Security Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk region
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union