Ukrainian police expose million-dollar drone scam, fraudsters seized
Ukraine’s National Police have dismantled a criminal scheme involving two women who defrauded Ukrainians of over 45 million hryvnia ($1.1 million) by posing as sellers of drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the police reported on Telegram on Feb. 15.
Ninety-two individuals fell victim to the scammers, collectively transferring over 45 million hryvnia ($1.1 million) to their accounts. The victims hailed from various Ukrainian regions, all motivated by the desire to support Ukrainian soldiers.
The two women had previously "exploited emergencies to deceive citizens," the police investigation revealed. During power outages, they had sold but failed to deliver 40 Starlink satellite internet terminals, leading to fraud charges in 2023. The case was referred to the court.
In this latest case, the scammers did not fulfill their promise to deliver over 600 drones for the needs of the AFU. Law enforcement officers executed seven searches at the suspects' residences in Kyiv, Odesa, and Volyn oblasts.
Assets worth a total of 4.5 million hryvnia ($119 thousand) belonging to the suspects and 28.6 million hryvnia ($755 thousand) in bank accounts related to the fraudulent scheme were seized.
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