European police have shut down a major fraud network that ran scam call centers in Ukraine and stole more than €10 million from victims across Europe.
The coordinated operation involved authorities from the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine, with support from Eurojust. Police arrested 12 suspects during large-scale raids carried out on December 9. Investigators identified 45 people linked to the network and carried out 72 searches across Kyiv, Dnipro, and Ivano-Frankivsk.
During the raids, officers seized 21 vehicles, weapons, computers, large amounts of cash, and fake identification documents. Some of the forged IDs were designed to impersonate police officers and bank employees. Authorities also discovered a polygraph machine inside one of the locations.
Investigators say the scammers targeted more than 400 known victims using phone calls and social engineering tricks. Callers posed as bank staff or police officers and warned victims that their bank accounts had been compromised. Victims were then pressured into transferring money to so-called safe accounts controlled by the criminal group.
In other cases, victims were convinced to install remote access software, allowing the scammers to steal login credentials and take over bank accounts. Police also revealed that some members of the group met victims in person to collect cash using stolen card details.
The fraud operation functioned like a business, with workers earning commissions of up to seven percent of the stolen money. Leaders promised bonuses such as cash, cars, or apartments in Kyiv to employees who brought in more than €100,000. Investigators said none of these rewards were ever paid.
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Eurojust confirmed that the network recruited workers from several European countries and brought them to Ukraine to operate the call centers. Members were assigned different roles, including making scam calls, forging official documents, and collecting money from victims.
