Two Ukrainians charged over 152,110-euro phone scam in Lithuania

LRT reports that two young Ukrainian men are on trial in Lithuania over a phone scam that defrauded eight people of more than 150,000 euros. The criminal case opened at Vilnius City District Court on Tuesday.

Prosecutors say the suspects are accused of fraud, illegally obtaining and using payment cards and misusing payment card data. The alleged offences took place in February and March, when the victims lost a total of 152,110 euros. The group also attempted to obtain a further 50,000 euros.

According to the pre-trial investigation, the Ukrainian citizens, born in 2005 and 2007, acted with other people as part of an organised group and followed a prearranged criminal plan. They allegedly took victims’ cash, obtained their payment cards and authentication data, and used that information to carry out unauthorised financial transactions.

Group members reportedly called victims in Russian, posing as employees of service companies or other individuals. They commonly claimed that electricity service contracts had to be extended or electricity meters checked. The callers then asked for personal details, information about cash kept at home and other sensitive data.

After gaining the victims’ trust, the suspects allegedly took their cash, online banking details and, in some cases, bank cards. The information and cards were then used to empty bank accounts.

In one case, the group attempted to obtain 50,000 euros from a person who realised that the callers were fraudsters and alerted police. Officers arrested one Ukrainian citizen at the scene when he arrived to inspect the person’s cash.

The investigation was led by a prosecutor from the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office and carried out by officers from the Vilnius County Chief Police Commissariat’s criminal police property crime investigation unit. Both defendants are currently being held in custody, the strictest pre-trial measure.