SSU: Fraudsters increasingly pose as law enforcement officers

According to Ukrinform, the SSU press service reported this.

“Criminals approach a person and first intimidate them with fabricated criminal cases involving alleged treason, financing the Russian Federation, or purchasing prohibited goods. To increase the pressure, the scammers often send a fake summons for questioning via a messaging app,” the statement reads.

The scammers then offer a way to avoid punishment. In most cases, they demand that money be transferred or handed over “for verification” or “to avoid criminal liability.”

The SSU urges citizens to remain vigilant and follow these guidelines:

• Record the details of anyone who contacts you. Write down the phone number from which the call was made and save screenshots of any messages;
• Do not disclose confidential information about your bank cards, and do not make urgent money transfers;
• Verify all available information. Use only official sources: the SSU website (ssu.gov.ua) and verified social media pages.

Citizens who have been subjected to such extortion or have received a suspicious message from a person claiming to be an SSU employee should immediately contact the security service’s hotline (number: 1516), email (callcenter@ssu.gov.ua, sbu_cu@ssu.gov.ua), or via chatbot.

As reported by Ukrinform, in Kyiv, two retirees handed over three million hryvnias to scammers who claimed to be SSU employees.

Photo: SSU