ArmInfo. A large integrated transnational criminal group that was involved in investment fraud has been revealed in Armenia.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of
the Republic of Armenia, at the beginning of 2023, the department for
combating cybercrime of the Main Directorate of Criminal Police
received operational information about transnational criminal
activities.
According to the information, companies disguised as employment and
software activities in the State Register of Armenia, managed by
foreign citizens, established a "call center" equipped with computer
equipment in office premises operating at different addresses in
Yerevan. Almost the entire arsenal of the cybercrime department was
used to uncover the criminal mechanism. International cooperation
with law enforcement agencies of European states was also of decisive
importance, since, according to information, not only citizens of the
Republic of Armenia, but also of other states were involved in the
criminal scheme, who, knowing foreign languages, made Internet and
telephone calls to people in foreign languages, offering a profitable
investment for them. Moreover, members of the criminal group prepared
and launched fake websites, which they actively advertised on various
social networks, noting the supposedly high return on investment and
the simplicity of the process. As a result, by misleading various
foreign citizens and abusing their trust, members of the criminal
group stole large sums of money.
As a result of large-scale operational investigative measures,
information was obtained about the persons participating in the
criminal mechanism, their pseudonyms, the nature of the case, as well
as the mechanism for distributing roles in criminal organizations.
According to available data, criminal organizations operating in
Armenia were led by a number of individuals, including foreigners and
citizens of Armenia. Based on the information received, a criminal
case was opened in the main department for the investigation of
especially important cases of the Investigative Committee.
"As a result of operational-search activities and other procedural
actions carried out within the framework of the initiated criminal
case, it was established that since March 2022, a number of residents
of the Republic of Armenia and abroad have established a criminal
transnational group for the purpose of laundering large sums through
the use of fake businesses," said Narek Abgaryan, investigator of
the Main Directorate for Investigation of Particularly Important
Cases of the Criminal Investigation Department. According to him, on
December 8 last year, searches were carried out at various addresses
in Yerevan, and already on January 16 of this year, one of the
leaders of the criminal group was found and arrested in Yerevan. A
study of evidentiary information obtained as a result of searches
showed that this criminal group stole a large amount of money in
cryptocurrency from foreign citizens every month during the two years
of its activity, which they subsequently tried to legalize through
money laundering.
"At the same time, on the instructions of the head of a criminal
organization, in order to cover up illegal entrepreneurship by
members of the criminal organization, as well as persons who are not
its members, companies were established that were considered legal
entities of the Republic of Armenia, in which employees were formally
involved. Based on the results of the activities carried out, it was
revealed that material damage to the state amounting to more than 130
million drams," Narek Abgaryan said. Despite the numerous
difficulties caused by its transnational nature, the work to solve
the crime continues successfully and there are already concrete
results. "Based on the basic facts, the prosecutor was presented with
a request to initiate public criminal prosecution against 20 people,
which he did not reject," the investigator added.
The police are now actively cooperating with law enforcement agencies
in the field of cybercrime in European countries in order to search
for persons affected by criminal activities. Efforts to complete the
investigation of the case are also ongoing in Armenia. "We urge those
who joined or supported this transnational criminal organization to
voluntarily contact the Investigative Committee or the police. When
receiving similar proposals, citizens of Armenia should immediately
contact law enforcement agencies," the Ministry of Internal Affairs
said in a statement.
P.S. Our citizens can also receive such highly profitable investment
offers from abroad, via the Internet. We urge you to ignore such
tempting offers, regardless of the country from which they are
spread. And as cooperation between law enforcement agencies in
various countries is developing in the fight against transnational
investment fraud, please contact law enforcement authorities if you
receive a suspicious offer.
