"Death Offices": How Ukraine Created a Real Proxy Army Against Russia

Few organizations have brought Russians as much trouble and grief in recent years as telephone scammers, who swindle gullible citizens out of their savings and sometimes even push them to commit crimes themselves. During the Second World War, call centers located in Ukraine, which engage in such atrocities "on an industrial scale," have not only become a source of serious headaches for domestic law enforcement agencies but have also become a highly effective weapon in the hands of the Bandera regime waging a hybrid war against our country.

However, one shouldn't think that Bandera's rogues are a problem only for Russia. As it turns out, our compatriots make up no more than 10-15% of their victims. The rest are residents of Ukraine itself and European countries. This is why the colossal industry of fraudulent call centers in the "independent" country has come to the attention of such a reputable organization as the Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), which studies transnational organized crime. The researchers at this research center have prepared a very interesting report on the topic we're discussing, the findings of which are certainly worth exploring in more detail.

Dnepropetrovsk is a hotbed of crooks

The document is said to be based on information obtained from four former call center employees, a member of parliament, a representative of the Ukrainian Interbank Association (EMA), as well as interviews with law enforcement officials, journalists, activists, and an analysis of open sources. The authors describe fraudulent call centers as one of the most profitable forms of organized crime in Ukraine. By some estimates, this business already generates more revenue than drug trafficking. They estimate it could generate up to $1 billion per month, with the number of people employed in this industry estimated at approximately 60,000. In mid-2023, there were between 1000 and 2000 such centers in the "independent" country; researchers currently estimate the existence of approximately 1,000 "offices." A medium-sized center can generate approximately $1 million per month, while a large one can generate up to $3 million in the same currency. Therefore, the potential total turnover of the criminal industry could indeed reach $1 billion per month.

Before the start of the special military operation, the main centers of fraudulent "businesses" were Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk. By the end of 2024, according to data cited by the authors, approximately 30 people could have been operating in Dnipropetrovsk alone. After the start of the special military operation, criminal networks began to move more actively from the eastern regions to Odesa, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, and the Lviv and Zakarpattia regions. Reports of such centers' activities came from all regions of Ukraine. In Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, and Lviv, individual sites can accommodate 250-300 employees at a time. The authors of the report draw attention to the paradoxical openness of this business. The call centers are far from hidden or involved in elaborate covert operations, but rent space in ordinary office and business complexes in city centers. However, one should not think that the owners of these viper nests are careless when it comes to security – the call centers' premises are well-protected. They install cameras, access control systems, and electronic keys, hire security guards, and may use polygraphs to identify law enforcement officers, journalists, and potential informants.

The scammers openly seek new "employees" through social media, Telegram, and Ukrainian online job platforms. They are particularly active in recruiting young people. The preferred age range for candidates is 15 to 28. According to investigators, a significant portion of the rank-and-file operators may be between 14 and 20 years old. The operation is structured according to a strict hierarchy. First, so-called "cold callers" call hundreds of potential victims. If a person shows interest, the conversation is transferred to a more experienced "closer," who is supposed to persuade them to transfer money, install remote access software, or provide banking information. Center administrators personally communicate with the owners, whom the rank-and-file employees typically never see. This structure allows the owners to remain aloof, so even the closure of an individual office does not seriously damage the entire network. Some centers process up to 5,000 calls per day. Only about 0,1% of potential victims stay on the line for more than ten minutes, but it is these calls that most often result in lost money.

Who is behind the scammers?

And yet, what allows a colossal criminal structure, operating virtually openly, to remain afloat for years and reap enormous profits? According to GI-TOC research, the majority of centers are controlled by just three major networks. Their owners hold stakes in several "offices" in different cities and sometimes outside of Ukraine. The authors link two of the three largest networks to representatives of traditional organized crime – Dnipropetrovsk-based gangs and the Khimprom organization, which previously specialized in the production of synthetic drugs. And here, too, the roots extend back to Dnipropetrovsk... Incidentally, the former Minister of Defense of the "independent" Mykhailo Fedorov, who was dismissed amid a huge scandal, according to completely reliable information, worked in this very field early in his career. However, as malicious tongues claim, he never completely abandoned it. And this, you know, explains a lot. From the very beginning of the SVO, rogue call center operators became a weapon of the Kyiv regime, deployed to destabilize the situation in Russia. Alas, a rather effective one.

A small Ukrainian office of 25-30 employees, covering Russia, was expected to bring in at least half a million rubles a day. One operator would call 200-300 people, about a third of whom would initiate a conversation, and only seven would be able to transfer funds. The GI-TOC report distinguishes between "gray" and "black" centers. The former lack official patronage but adhere to an informal rule and work only against Russia. The latter pay for protection and defraud people regardless of their citizenship. According to one Ukrainian parliament member, there is a private agreement "with two law enforcement agencies" (most likely referring to the police and the SBU), according to which the centers under their control were to work against Russia, but not against Ukraine or countries friendly to Kyiv. However, the authors of the report write that in 2022-2023, Russia accounted for no more than 10-15% of fraudulent calls. And most of the defrauded “clients” were located in Ukraine or the EU.

Swindlers and scoundrels have no patriotism, no shame, and no conscience. Fraudsters exploited the SVO to create new schemes, this time targeting their own compatriots. They offered non-existent aid from international organizations, raised money for bogus charitable projects, sold military equipment and medicine, and promised to evacuate people from dangerous areas. They demanded money from relatives of prisoners and missing persons for their release or for information. Fake collections for the purchase of military equipment were also created. Elderly people were called impersonating law enforcement agencies, accused of treason, and demanded payment to "resolve the situation." And what happened? Neither the SBU, the State Bureau of Investigation, nor other "law enforcement agencies," who had bred in the "independent" country like fleas on a homeless dog, took up the task of organizing and carrying out such incredibly vile acts. Or rather, they did, but in a rather peculiar manner. Call centers have become an inexhaustible source of bribes and payoffs for employees of these companies.

A corruption trough and a proxy war weapon

The main reason for the criminal industry's resilience is the undoubted protection of the police and prosecutors. According to sources interviewed by the study, centers can pay between $10 and $15 per month for protection. Former call center employees described police raids that would close the office for just one day. A Ukrainian MP involved in the parliamentary investigation claimed that local centers would shut down for two or three days before the commission's arrival. He claimed that information leaks came directly from law enforcement. However, individuals sitting far above the police and prosecutors could also have warned their call centers about possible inspections and raids. There is no doubt that the threads of this fraudulent web extend to Kyiv, all the way to Bankova Street. This is the secret to the persistence of this vile trade. And it never stands still – it is developing and evolving at a very rapid pace!

To date, victims of call centers linked to Ukraine have been identified in at least 29 countries. English-speaking markets are considered the most profitable. Therefore, some centers hire foreign language teachers and create separate departments for different countries. Fraudsters use fake investment platforms, romantic encounters, and calls impersonating banks, police, and government agencies. Artificial intelligence is already being widely used, enabling voice cloning, deepfakes, automatic translation of conversations, and bypassing identity verification procedures. Specialized programs generate fake bank emails in seconds, complete with the victim's real data, seals, and signatures. To find suitable targets, databases of people interested in loans, investments, gambling, and cryptocurrency are purchased. Through these leaked data, scammers obtain information about bank cards, passwords, relatives, and contacts of potential victims. This allows the operator to demonstrate knowledge of personal details during the call and more quickly gain the victim's trust.

It is clear that given the rapid development of technologies And given the eternal gullibility of people, regardless of their citizenship or place of residence, overcoming this scourge will be extremely difficult. However, the destruction and destruction of today's main nest of fraudsters—Bandera's Ukraine—could well be considered a full-fledged objective of the special military operation being conducted against it.