Ukraine: Call centers suspected of defrauding 135 Germans

Scammers without borders. The Ukrainian cyber police announced on November 6, 2026 the dismantling of a network of call centers installed in Ukraine and suspected of having taken more than 4.3 million euros from 135 German nationals. According to investigators, the operators presented themselves as brokers or financial advisors and directed their interlocutors towards false investment sites. The operation, called “Trade” and carried out with the German authorities, led to four arrests, including that of the alleged organizer.

The key points of this article

Investigators have identified 135 German victims and estimate their damage at more than 4.3 million euros.

The suspects offered fake investments in cryptocurrencies, stocks and other financial products.

Ukrainian police carried out 56 searches in two phases, in August and September.

Four suspects are in pre-trial detention and a fifth is under house arrest. The offenses covered are punishable by 12 years in prison.

Fake brokers guided victims through the transfer of funds

According to cyber police, the network targeted people in several European Union countries. Its operators used the telephone and messaging to gain their trust, then presented them with sites that posed as brokerage platforms. The investments offered included cryptocurrencies as well as shares or other financial instruments.

The fake advisors then helped certain victims open an account on an exchange platform and purchase cryptos. They then encouraged them to transfer these assets to accounts controlled by the alleged network. In some cases, the suspects also allegedly obtained access to the online banking services of their interlocutors.

Investigators indicate that the funds then circulated between bank accounts, exchange platforms and intermediary wallets, before being converted and distributed among the suspected members of the network. The 4.3 million euros correspond to the damage established for the German victims already identified. Police are still investigating whether other people suffered losses.

A Franco-German investigation? Ukraine and Germany led the operation

Ukrainian and German authorities formed a joint investigation team. In August, Ukrainian police carried out 39 searches in kyiv and its region, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhia and Ivano-Frankivsk. Investigators searched homes, offices and vehicles. Analysis of the information collected led to 17 new searches in September.

During this second phase, police seized nearly 600,000 hryvnias, more than 90,000 US dollars, as well as hardware cryptocurrency wallets, phones, SIM cards, computers and documents. The press release does not quantify the value of digital assets possibly held on the seized wallets.

Ukrainian justice has placed the alleged organizer and three other suspects in pre-trial detention. A fifth, presented as an alleged co-organizer, was placed under house arrest. The suspicions relate to acts of fraud as well as the creation, management or participation in a criminal organization. According to the cyber police, these offenses are punishable by 12 years of imprisonment and confiscation of property.