“Your relative is in the hospital”: a woman “earned” more than 9 thousand on lies about missing Ukrainian soldiers
The pseudo-volunteer searched for relatives of the missing soldiers on social media and contacted them to tell them the “good news”. At least four Ukrainians believed the woman and replenished her account.
Law enforcers exposed a “volunteer” who was extorting money from relatives of missing defenders. On September 27, the press service of the Main Department of the National Police in Odesa Oblast shared the details of the case.
According to the investigation, in March, a 32-year-old resident of Odesa region organized the collection of information on social networks about missing members of the Armed Forces and their relatives. She called Ukrainians who asked for help in finding their loved ones under the guise of a volunteer.
The woman said that the missing defenders had allegedly been found and were in a hospital in Bakhmut. According to the police, “playing on the emotions and feelings” of people, she asked for money to be transferred to her for allegedly treating, feeding and transporting servicemen.
“The amounts she asked from the victims ranged from several hundred to several thousand hryvnias,” the police said.
The deceived Ukrainians, having heard the good news, transferred money to help their relatives, and the pseudo-volunteer took it and spent it. It is now known that in this way the woman managed to raise more than UAH 9,000 from four people.
A resident of Odesa region was suspected of fraud and is now under house arrest. She may face a fine of UAH 51-68 thousand, correctional labor for one to two years, restriction of liberty for up to five years, or imprisonment for up to three years.
