Ukrainian cleaner in Guarda accused of defrauding nine people of €245,000
A 49-year-old woman residing in Guarda claimed to need money to pay fees for a property sale in Ukraine. The Public Prosecutor's Office accused her of qualified fraud, receiving stolen goods and money laundering.
Cleaner accused of defrauding friends, neighbours and colleagues in €245,000 scheme
A 49-year-old cleaning worker residing in Guarda stands accused of defrauding nine people — friends, neighbours and work colleagues — in a scheme that netted her approximately €245,000, according to the Jornal de Notícias, cited by CNN Portugal.
The defendant, a Ukrainian national, has lived in Portugal for approximately 20 years. To convince victims to hand over money, she repeatedly invoked the need to pay fees and deposits to unlock the sale of a property in Ukraine — a sum which, according to her claim, would subsequently be transferred to Portugal.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office indictment, the scheme ran from September 2024 to October 2025. A work colleague was the most affected victim, handing over approximately €118,000 to the defendant.
The money collected was then moved through multiple bank accounts in Portugal and abroad. The Judicial Police identified transfers to Malta, France, Lithuania and Luxembourg, as well as frequent use of cryptocurrency trading platforms, including Payward, based in Ireland, and other digital wallets associated with crypto-assets.
The woman received instructions from a group via the encrypted messaging application Telegram, which promised her high profits from virtual currency trading. She ended up losing the money invested and, in an attempt to recover financially, sought alternatives on the Internet.
Hanna M. has now been accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office of the crimes of qualified fraud, receiving stolen goods and money laundering.
Source: CNN Portugal