Bank fraud of 300,000 zloty in Leszno – 20-year-old Ukrainian citizen arrested
A 20-year-old Ukrainian citizen was arrested for three months after defrauding a resident of Leszno County of nearly 300,000 zloty. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
Fake bank employee defrauded woman from Leszno of nearly 300,000 zloty
According to wielkopolska.policja.gov.pl, police officers from Leszno dealing with economic crime prevention detained a 20-year-old Ukrainian citizen in Kraków, suspected of involvement in a fraud amounting to nearly 300,000 zloty.
The incident occurred at the end of May of this year. A 41-year-old resident of Leszno County was contacted by a person claiming to be a bank employee. The fake consultant informed the woman that a credit had allegedly been illegally taken out in her name, and persuaded her to participate in a "secret banking operation" aimed at apprehending fraudsters.
During several days of manipulation, the victim withdrew savings totalling over 80,000 zloty and transferred them to a cryptocurrency wallet. She transferred part of the funds to the criminals' bank account – the money was subsequently withdrawn in the Warsaw area. Additionally, the woman took out three loans from various banks totalling over 200,000 zloty, which also went to cryptocurrency wallets.
Throughout this time, the victim remained in constant telephone contact with the fraudsters, who instructed her step by step what operations to perform and advised her against contacting the police. The woman also disregarded warnings from genuine bank employees who cautioned her that she was a victim of crime.
On 26 May, the 41-year-old realised she had been defrauded and informed the police. Officers from Leszno, with support from police from the Provincial Police Headquarters in Poznań, quickly established the identity of one of the perpetrators. Two days later they detained the 20-year-old in Kraków – the defrauded funds were paid into his account, which he subsequently passed on to his accomplices.
The man was charged with fraud amounting to nearly 300,000 zloty, constituting property of significant value. This classification increases criminal liability – the suspect faces up to 10 years imprisonment. On 29 May, the District Court in Leszno, at the request of the Leszno prosecutor's office, ordered the 20-year-old to be remanded in custody for three months.
Investigators are continuing their work to establish the identity and arrest the remaining participants in the criminal scheme. Police warn that the operating mechanism of such groups makes recovery of the defrauded funds extremely difficult.
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)