Met on TikTok: a Ukrainian woman sent a con artist 300,000 hryvnias for a supposed move to the USA.

A woman from the Sumy region was deceived by a scammer she met on social media. The local police warned citizens about the bizarre schemes employed by these criminals.

Law enforcement officials noted that this is not the first instance of citizens falling prey to online scammers. The fraudsters gain the trust of their future victims, presenting themselves as "princes," "wealthy suitors," or even "widowers who have lost faith in the world."

A similar story occurred with a resident from one of the villages in the Romny district of Sumy region. A 51-year-old woman began corresponding on TikTok in June 2024 with an unknown man who identified himself as Jeff.

They engaged in conversations on various topics, gradually learning more about each other until the scammer on the other side of the screen began to take action. He claimed to be a widower working as a military orthopedic surgeon. Allegedly, he was raising two children aged 9 and 11 by himself and needed money to move permanently to the USA.

"It is unclear how the scammer managed to convince the woman, but from the end of September to early November, she transferred 300,000 hryvnias to 20 (!) bank card numbers provided to her and finally realized that she had been communicating for almost six months with a very peculiar fraudster, after which she reported the crime to the police," the statement reads.

Law enforcement ultimately opened a criminal case under part 2 of Article 190 "Fraud" of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Scammers on social media: a warning from the police

Ukrainians are urged to pay attention to suspicious details when communicating with unfamiliar people online and to maintain information hygiene.

This is a standard scam scheme where fraudsters spend weeks trying to gain another person's trust before subtly hinting at needing financial assistance. Such scammers always promise to return everything as soon as possible, but after the money is transferred, they disappear for good. The police recommend immediately ceasing communication if this occurs.

"You are communicating with a scammer who will derive pleasure from their game, gain material benefits, and will inevitably deceive you," law enforcement officials concluded.

Recall that on November 18, it was reported that a woman on a dating site thought she was communicating with a colonel, but the truth turned out to be painful. Mary gave the man her address, and a few days later, she received a box filled with sentimental trinkets. The card left inside the package read: "You are the one I want to be with now and forever."