Ukraine has detained 11 individuals after shutting down a fraudulent call center that targeted victims across Europe with fake cryptocurrency investment schemes, the EU’s judicial cooperation agency reported Monday.
The crackdown comes amid growing global efforts by law enforcement to combat such scams, which are particularly prevalent in parts of Asia and have been linked to serious human rights concerns.
The operation focused on a call center in Dnipro that allegedly defrauded European citizens through bogus crypto investment offers. Early findings identified victims in Latvia and Lithuania who together lost more than €160,000 ($188,783), though investigators believe additional victims may emerge.
According to authorities, the group also persuaded victims to pay for supposed legal services to recover their losses and used remote-access software to move funds from victims’ accounts into bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets controlled by the suspects.
After at least nine victims filed complaints, Eurojust helped establish a joint investigation team, allowing officials from Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine to share intelligence and coordinate a joint action day.
Ten suspects were remanded in pretrial detention, while one was placed under house arrest. Investigators searched 32 sites and seized electronic devices, documents, computers, SIM cards, €400,000 ($471,924) in cash, two crypto wallets, and eight luxury vehicles. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing as digital evidence is reviewed.
The case reflects concerns raised last week by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights about widespread abuses tied to large-scale cyber fraud operations in Southeast Asia.
The UN report noted that many individuals are forced to work in tightly controlled call center environments, carrying out fraudulent investment or romance scams while facing threats, movement restrictions, and confiscation of documents. OHCHR called for a rights-based response to ensure victims are not punished for crimes they were compelled to commit.
The arrests also follow broader scrutiny of global scam networks. In March 2025, OCCRP released its “Scam Empire” investigation, detailing how organized criminal call centers deploy fake investment schemes to defraud thousands of victims worldwide and exposing the structure of these industrial-scale operations.