In Kyiv, fraudsters scammed former Prime Minister Valeriy Pustovoytenko out of 7 million hryvnias: two perpetrators were taken into custody

In Kyiv, fraudsters scammed former Prime Minister Valeriy Pustovoytenko out of 7 million hryvnias: two perpetrators were taken into custody

In the capital, fraudsters posing as an SBU officer and a police investigator swindled a former high-ranking official out of nearly 7 million hryvnias. The case involves 79-year-old former Prime Minister Valeriy Pustovoytenko. Two perpetrators of the criminal scheme have already been identified, detained, and placed in custody. The search for other participants continues.

This is reported by "Informator".

As reported by the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office, the fraudsters sent the pensioner forged summonses and informed him that criminal proceedings had been opened against him in connection with the alleged purchase of Shahed drones for the aggressor’s army. Under pressure from this fabricated accusation, the man agreed to a "search via video link" and showed the fraudsters his savings. The prosecutor’s office does not name the victim, but according to media reports, it is Valeriy Pustovoytenko.

Following the scammers’ instructions, he placed all the money in a package and personally handed it over "for inspection" near his own house. The victim gave away 110,710 US dollars and 10,200 euros, as well as savings in Israeli shekels, British pounds, and Czech crowns.

Photo: prosecutor’s office

The suspects transferred the dollars and euros to the crypto account of the scheme’s organizer. The exchange office refused to accept the other currency. Two participants in the scheme who came to the victim for the money were identified and detained.

Photo: prosecutor’s officeTwo participants in the scheme were detained and taken into custody. Photo: prosecutor’s office

Under the procedural guidance of the Shevchenkivskyi District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv, the two detainees were notified of suspicion of aiding and abetting fraud in the total amount of nearly 7 million hryvnias. They are being held in custody with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 4.9 million and 3.3 million hryvnias, respectively.

Investigation identifies new members of the criminal group

Law enforcement officers are currently identifying the remaining participants in the scheme. The two detainees are the executors who directly collected the cash from the victim. The organizer of the scheme, to whose crypto account most of the currency was transferred, remains at large.

The scheme was built on a combination of psychological pressure and wartime rhetoric: the victim was accused not of an ordinary criminal act, but of allegedly financing the enemy. According to the investigation, this is what broke the resistance of the 79-year-old Pustovoytenko. The forged documents and the "video search" only enhanced the effect of credibility.