As a result of large-scale operative-search activities carried out by employees of the General Directorate of Information Security and Government Communications of NSS, it turned out that residents of Yerevan city G.A. and M.B. with an intent of stealing money from Facebook users through fraud, combined their efforts, created an organized stable group, developed a criminal scheme with the aim of stealing large amounts of money from various persons by deception or abuse of trust.

The aforementioned persons for the period from March to July 2021 registered fake personal pages with the data of various users on Facebook social network, the falsity of which they disguised by the photos and other personal data downloaded from their pages, thereby creating favorable conditions in order not to be detected and to facilitate the commission of crime. Then, through the mentioned fake pages, with an intent to steal money from about 40 users, they corresponded through “Messenger” application with the aforementioned users and, as a pretext, using their desire to transfer money to persons in military service, managed to affect the will and consciousness of the latter, as a result of which the members of the organized group, through fraud, stole money from different persons on an especially large scale-a total of about 4.000.000 AMD: the amounts were transferred through “Telcell” payment terminal to different electronic wallets of “Qiwi” payment system indicated by the members of the organized group and actually at their disposal, and then were cashed.

Within the framework of the criminal case initiated on the fact in the Investigation Department of the RA NSS, based on the direct suspicion of committing a crime, the members of the organized group have been detained, a charge has been brought against them on the grounds of Article 178, Part 3, Clause 1 and 2 envisaged for committing a crime and arrest has been applied as a measure of restraint.

The RA NSS warns to refrain from actions to transfer money in a similar way through suspicious transactions and, in accordance with this, not be in the role of a victim of fraud.

Note: The suspect or accused of an alleged crime is considered innocent as long as his guilt is not proven in a manner prescribed by the Code of Criminal Procedure of RA - by the court decision entered into legal force.