Scammer in Odessa: How a 23-Year-Old Deceived Residents
In just three days, the perpetrator managed to deceive five residents of Odessa, causing them losses exceeding 20,000 UAH. Investigators have already charged the young woman, who could face up to eight years in prison.
At the end of March, five local citizens reported to the police that money had disappeared from their bank accounts.
During the investigation, law enforcement identified a 23-year-old woman from Odessa as the suspect.
She created a fake website for parking payments in Odessa and placed a QR code next to a parking spot in the Peresyp area. The site looked identical to the official one, but required users to enter their card numbers and CVV codes for authorization.
As a result, by scanning the QR code, individuals entered confidential information that was captured by the scammer. Using the obtained data, she accessed the victims' banking apps and transferred money from their accounts to hers. Amounts ranged from 4,000 to 5,100 UAH. The total losses reached 22,700 UAH, which the perpetrator spent on personal needs.
Police seized her mobile phone, laptop, and bank card used for the fraud.
“After gathering sufficient evidence, investigators charged the suspect under Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for fraud by deception, involving illegal operations using electronic computing equipment. The indictment has been sent to court. The accused admitted her guilt and has already compensated the victims for their losses. According to current legislation, the maximum penalty she faces is eight years of imprisonment,” said Valentina Istomina, head of the investigative unit.
We advise residents and guests of Odessa: cashless parking payment in the city requires scanning the QR code located on the road sign and subsequent authorization through the Diia app or your banking app. The official website does not require entering card numbers, CVV codes, logins, or passwords. Stay vigilant, keep your confidential information private, and do not let scammers take advantage of you.
Source: https://od.npu.gov.ua/news/stvoryla-feikovyi-sait-oplaty-parkuvannia-aby-zavolodity-hroshyma-vodiiv-v-odesi-politseiski-vykryly-shakhraisku-skhemu-23-richnoi-divchyny
