Czech citizens charged in Ukraine bank scam targeting clients abroad

Police in Czechia have charged four Czech nationals operating from Ukraine with fraud, following an international investigation. The suspects worked from a foreign call centre, posing as bankers, police officers, and bank security staff to trick Czech citizens into transferring their “endangered” funds to alternate accounts or depositing money into bitcoin ATMs.

According to the police, Ukrainian criminal groups recruited Czech speakers via social media to overcome the language barrier when contacting victims in Czechia. One of the call centres, based in Dnipro, specifically targeted Czech phone numbers. Ukrainian police detained more than 150 individuals and shut down three call centres during the operation.