More members of an international phone scam ring detained in Latvia and Ukraine

RIGA - Several more members of an organized crime group have been detained in Latvia and Ukraine, the State Police informed LETA.

Initially, Latvian specialists identified and analyzed the information obtained regarding telephone fraud, when fraudsters claimed to be State Police officers or employees of bank security services in order to obtain personal access data for bank accounts.

The phone screen of the recipient showed false information that the incoming call was made from a number registered in Latvia - from the police or the bank, while the fraudsters in fact were calling from Ukraine.

Fraudsters called residents of Latvia and spoke in Russian. During the call, they pointed to allegedly fraudulent activities in the bank account of the Latvian resident and obtained access data for the victim's bank account. The money was then transferred from the victims' accounts.

During the investigation, it was found that in Ukraine, the district of Dnipropetrovsk, more than 60 operators worked under the supervision of the organized group.

A monthly turnover of this group could have exceeded EUR 128,000.

Ten members of the group were initially detained back in March, and about 30 were conducted.

However, as the investigation continued, it was established that the size of the criminal group was larger and its members, who had not been arrested so far, had agreed to resume the operation of the call center.

In the period from August 1 to August, arrests of persons were made simultaneously in Latvia and Ukraine - five more members of the organized group were detained in Ukraine, whose residences were searched, and those persons who were involved in Latvia were also detained.

The total value of the arrested property of the organized criminal group amounts to EUR 229,000.