They pretended to be bank employees: a fraudulent call center was exposed in a correctional colony in Vinnytsia region

On the Vinnytsia region, police and correctional facility operatives have uncovered the activities of a criminal group of inmates who, posing as bank employees, deceived dozens of people from all over Ukraine. The Vinnytsia Regional Police Department reported the following details:

The criminal group consisted of three convicts serving sentences in Vinnytsia for serious crimes, along with a 39-year-old female accomplice from Vinnytsia region. The criminals defrauded their victims by impersonating bank security service personnel and, after obtaining personal information, transferred all their money from their accounts.

According to Vitaliy Kurchyk, the Chief of Vinnytsia Regional Police Department, the police are currently aware of nearly 30 criminal episodes committed by the individuals. The sums transferred by the convicts from the victims' accounts ranged from 5,000 to 35,000 hryvnias. People from nearly all regions of the country fell victim to their actions.

The fraudulent scheme was orchestrated by a 35-year-old native of Donetsk Oblast. He, along with his two accomplices, was serving sentences for property crimes in Vinnytsia. The eldest among them, a 39-year-old cellmate of the organizer, is also from Donetsk Oblast, while the youngest, aged 34, is from Odessa. All three men had been on law enforcement's radar for some time and had spent several years behind bars.

The police conducted a search at the place of their detention, recovering eight mobile phones, 20 SIM cards, and draft records. Most of the items seized by the criminals were hidden from the penitentiary administration in so-called "stashes" within residential sections.

Investigative actions have also been carried out regarding the 39-year-old woman, who resides in Nemiriv.

The Special Forces Unit "KORD" provided support during the investigative process.

Currently, the police are working to identify other individuals who may have been affected by the criminals' actions.

The Vinnytsia Regional Police Department is investigating the case, and the article provides for a punishment of up to 8 years of imprisonment. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.